Top 5 youngest players in IPL 2025 auction list ft. Kwena Maphaka
A plethora of youngsters have made the final cut for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction. The much-anticipated event will go down on November 24-25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Since its inception, IPL has been a terrific platform for youngsters to showcase their talent on the world's biggest T20 stage. Many have gone on to represent their respective countries after proving their talents in the cash-rich league.
On that note, let's take a look at the five youngest players who will go under the hammer in the IPL 2025 auction.
#5 Hardik Raj - 18 years and 250 days
Talented all-rounder Hardik Raj represents the Karnataka state in the domestic circuit. He came into the limelight with his performances in the last edition of the Cooch Behar U-19 tournament. Hardik accumulated 299 runs at an average of 49.83. He also picked up 28 wickets in eight matches at an average of 20.42.
As a result, he was slotted into the Karnataka senior side for the 2023-24 edition of the Ranji Trophy. Until now, Hardik has scored 234 runs and picked up 17 wickets in eight first-class games.
#4 Kwena Maphaka - 18 years and 221 days
Talented South African pacer Kwena Maphaka emerged as the leading wicket-taker in the 2023-24 edition of the U19 World Cup with 21 scalps in six games. As a result, he was awarded an IPL contract by the Mumbai Indians last year. However, he picked up a solitary wicket in two games and held an average of 89. Thus, he was released ahead of the auction.
The left-arm pacer also made his T20I debut for South Africa against the West Indies earlier this year. He picked up a single wicket at an average of 88 in his three appearances.
Maphaka was in good form for champions Lions side in the CSA T20 Challenge, where he was the joint-highest wicket-taker with 13 dismissals.
#3 Andre Siddarth - 18 years and 129 days
Tamil Nadu batter Andre Siddarth impressed with his performances in the last edition of the Cooch Behar U-19 tournament. He amassed 418 runs in seven games at an average of 46.44, with a top score of 218.
Siddarth made his first-class debut in the 2024-25 edition of Ranji Trophy. In four first-class games, he has scored 294 runs in four innings. Interestingly, he scored 78 in his ongoing appearance against Railways.
#2 Ayush Mhatre - 17 years and 122 days
Opening batter Ayush Mhatre bagged headlines after hitting his maiden first-class century for Mumbai against Maharashtra last month. He scored 176 off 232, including 22 fours and four sixes.
In the 2023/24 edition of the Cooch Behar U-19, Mhatre garnered 611 runs at an average of 55.55, with two centuries. In the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2024 game against Services, he top-scored for Mumbai by slamming 116 in the first innings, with senior players like Shreyas Iyer (47) and Ajinkya Rahane (19) failing to convert their starts.
#1 Vaibhav Suryavanshi - 13 years and 233 days
Bihar's Vaibhav Suryavanshi is the youngest player in the IPL 2025 auction list. Last month, the left-handed batter became the youngest batter to score a century in youth Tests. While playing for the Indian U19 team, he slammed 104 off 62 balls against the Australian U19 team.
Suryavanshi has been featuring for the Bihar side in the Ranji Trophy 2024-25. In five first-class games, he has accumulated only 100 runs. Meanwhile, he scored 151 runs in three games at an average of 57.20 during last year's Cooch Behar U-19 tournament.