Ranking the 5 best overseas fast bowlers in IPL 2025 auction ft. Mitchell Starc
The mega auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25. All franchises will be keen on building their squads with as much depth as they can and enter the tournament with the confidence of trying to aim for the title and nothing less.
One of the most important things the franchises will have to look for is an overseas fast bowler who can give them early breakthroughs with the new ball inside the powerplay. They will also be keen on investing their money in a player who can hold his own in the slog overs with his variations.
Overseas fast bowlers are top-rated commodities in the IPL, and they are often seen going for big money. Franchises like to stock up their cupboards with at least one overseas fast bowler. Strangely, though, Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Matheesha Pathirana (Chennai Super Kings) are the only ones retained.
In this listicle, we rank the five best overseas fast bowlers who are available in the IPL 2025 auction:
#5 Anrich Nortje (South Africa)
Anrich Nortje is the first bowler on this list. The South African is known for his express pace and can dismantle the most disciplined batting orders in the tournament. It is for this reason that he averages 22.56 in T20s.
The 31-year-old has become renowned across the world for hurtling the ball at batters with raw pace, and the same will be expected of him in the IPL as well. After being released by Delhi Capitals, Nortje is a free agent in this auction.
Nortje can be deadly with the new ball owing to the accuracy of his line and length, but might go for some runs towards the death. Any franchise that wishes to invest in him must know this in detail before going for him.
#4 Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan)
Fazalhaq Farooqi is one of the rising talents in world cricket at the moment, and is expected to draw a lot of eyes at the auction. The left-arm pacer offers a lot of variety in his bowling, and is known to be a tricky customer to deal with.
Farooqi has age on his side as he is just 24 years old. His accurate yorkers made everyone in the IPL gasp in delight, and more of the same will be expected of him in the upcoming season of the cash-rich tournament as well.
The Afghan bowler played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the IPL, and will be keen on landing big money in the auction. However, he has played just seven matches in this tournament, in which he picked up six wickets.
#3 Trent Boult (New Zealand)
New Zealand's Trent Boult is bound to be one of the top draws in the auction this year given that he is a veteran of the IPL and knows this tournament as well as the back of his hand. He has also achieved complete mastery over these conditions.
The 35-year-old has played 104 matches for five teams in the IPL, the latest of which were the Rajasthan Royals in 2024. He has picked up a total of 121 wickets in his IPL career at an economy rate of 8.29, which is impressive.
The left-arm seamer is known for getting the ball to come back into the right-handers inside the powerplay and creating doubts in the mind of every slogger towards the death due to the confusion his cutters create.
#2 Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)
Seen by many to be the true successor to the legendary Dale Steyn, injuries and indifferent form have not helped Kagiso Rabada achieve the heights many across the world thought that he was destined for.
However, the 29-year-old still has time on his side, and will hope that his record of 264 wickets in 211 T20 matches improves in the upcoming IPL season. Strangely enough, he was released by his side Punjab Kings ahead of the auction.
Rabada has picked up a healthy 117 wickets in the 80 matches he has played in the IPL, although last season was a tad try with 11 wickets in as many games. The speedster will hope for an improved showing in the next season of the IPL.
#1 Mitchell Starc (Australia)
Mitchell Starc, who won the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024, was strangely let go by his franchise ahead of the mega auction. The left-arm seamer is one of the deadliest in world cricket at the moment, and will go for a lot of money.
Starc has aced himself in all three formats of the game, and despite staying aloof from the IPL for quite some time, he managed to etch his name in its annals of history quite well. Last season, he picked up 17 wickets for KKR in 14 matches.
The 34-year-old is renowned worldwide for his toe-crushing incoming yorkers to right-handers and his mastery over the ball both when it is new and old. All franchises will be lining up at the gate to pick him up for as low a price as possible.