Ranking the 5 best Indian pace bowling options in IPL 2025 auction ft. Mohammed Shami
The Indian fast bowlers are expected to gain significant interest from franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. Ahead of the event, teams have retained only six Indian fast bowling talents in the form of Harshit Rana, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Jasprit Bumrah, Sandeep Sharma, and Yash Dayal.
With top names going under the hammer, the franchises will look to acquire experienced pacers, who will lead their bowling attack in the next few years.
Teams like Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Gujarat Titans haven't retained any pacers and are set to break the bank for securing their services.
On that note, let's rank the top five pacers available for franchises in the much-awaited IPL 2025 auction.
#5 Mohammed Siraj
The right-arm pacer produced mediocre performances for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2024 season. He scalped 15 wickets in 14 games at an expensive economy of 9.18. In addition, his recent struggles in picking up enough wickets in international circuit resulted in him getting released by RCB.
When in full flow, Mohammed Siraj breathes fire and his infectious energy passes on to the other team members as well. Overall, the 30-year-old has scalped 93 wickets in as many appearances in the cash-rich league.
Siraj is ranked fifth on the list due to the falling graph of his performances for the Indian team. But, he can still be a fine pick for the captain, who would infuse confidence in him to perform at his best.
#4 Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel emerged as the Purple Cap holder in the IPL 2024 season. He finished with 24 wickets in 14 games, but at a cost of conceding runs at an economy of 9.75.
Despite his impressive performance, Patel was released from the Punjab Kings setup. Definitely, he will be one of the top picks for the franchises in the auction, who require a bowler who can handle the middle-overs as well as death overs.
With numerous variations up his sleeve, the 33-year-old could strike a bidding war among franchises. Interestingly, the Kings are also likely to use an RTM card for bringing him back to their setup.
#3 T Natarajan
The death-overs specialist, T Natarajan nailed perfect lengths and yorkers in the 2024 season. He bagged 19 wickets in 14 appearances and was Sunrisers Hyderabad's top bowler. However, the franchise released him ahead of the auction; instead retaining only fast bowler in the form of skipper Pat Cummins.
The left-arm pacer recorded his best performance against the Delhi Capitals, while ending with figures of 4/19. He bowled a triple-wicket maiden and kept batters guessing with his variations.
With a reputation of keeping batters quiet and securing wickets during the death overs, Natarajan could rake in a good amount of money at the auction.
#2 Mohammed Shami
India's finest pacer in the last three ODI WC editions, Mohammed Shami has returned to competitive cricket after one year. He picked up a total of seven wickets in his recent Ranji Trophy appearance for Bengal, and made a strong impression ahead of the auction.
Shami represented the Gujarat Titans (GT) in 2022-23, before missing the entire 2024 season due to injury. He bagged a total of 48 wickets in 33 games, while emerging as the Purple Cap winner in 2023. However, the Titans chose to release him.
Shami has been sensational with his wicket-taking abilities across all the formats, and can be one of the expensive pacers in the auction. Moreover, GT can use an RTM card for Shami, who has been a match-winner for the side.
#1 Arshdeep Singh
Since making his T20I debut in 2022, Arshdeep Singh has turned out to be the finest pacer for India. He has scalped 95 wickets in just 60 appearances, and is set to surpass Yuzvendra Chahal (96) to become India's highest wicket-taker in T20Is.
In IPL 2024, Arshdeep was the leading bowler for Punjab Kings with 19 scalps in 14 games. However, the left-arm pacer was released from the franchise, but they are likely to use an RTM card for the skillful pacer.
With eight wickets in the T20I series against South Africa, Arshdeep's stocks have certainly risen to a new level. He is expected to trigger interest from many franchises in the auction, which may take his final value to a historical high for an Indian pacer.