Who is Thomas Draca - 4 interesting facts about Italian player who has registered for IPL 2025 Auction
The excitement around the IPL 2025 auction is building up, with the event scheduled to take place on November 24-25 at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A total of 1,574 players have registered for the auction, including 1,165 from India and 409 international players. Of these, 320 are capped players, 1,224 are uncapped, and 30 represent Associate Nations.
The auction will see some major names going under the hammer, with Indian stars like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, and Shreyas Iyer, alongside international players such as Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Mitchell Starc. After India, South Africa has the second-highest number of registrations with 91 players, followed by Australia with 76 and England with 52.
For the first time, an Italian player has registered for the auction—Thomas Draca, who has listed himself at a base price of ₹30 lakh in the all-rounders' category. On that note, let's look at some interesting facts about this Italian cricketer.
#1 Thomas Draca made his international debut earlier this year against Luxembourg
The 24-year-old Italian right-arm pacer, Thomas Draca, made his international debut earlier this year in a match against Luxembourg during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Sub Regional Europe Qualifier. He impressed by taking two wickets for just 15 runs in his four-over spell, contributing to Italy's 77-run victory.
Draca’s most recent appearance for Italy came in the final of the same tournament, where he claimed two wickets for 17 runs, contributing to Italy’s commanding 160-run victory over Romania. Overall, he has featured in four T20Is, taking eight wickets.
#2 Draca was part of the Brampton Wolves in Global T20 Canada 2024
The right-arm pacer was part of the Brampton Wolves in the 2024 Global T20 Canada. Although Brampton was eliminated from the tournament after a loss in the Qualifier 2 match against the Toronto Nationals, who went on to become the champions, Draca caught the eye with his impressive performances throughout the competition.
He finished as the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, claiming 11 wickets across six innings, with his best performance being three for 10.
#3 He has been signed by MI Emirates for the 2025 edition of ILT20
For the third edition of the ILT20, scheduled from January 11 to February 9, 2025, MI Emirates signed five players, including Thomas Draca. His standout performances in the Global T20 Canada likely earned him a spot with the franchise.
Draca will be joining a star-studded MI Emirates lineup, featuring some of the biggest names in West Indian cricket, such as Kieron Pollard and Nicholas Pooran.
#4 The pacer was part of the Caribbean Tigers in MAX60 Caribbean 2024
The Italian cricketer was a member of the Caribbean Tigers in the 2024 MAX60 Caribbean tournament. Although he didn't get any playing time, he shared the dressing room with notable players such as Chris Lynn, Andrew Tye, and Suranga Lakmal.
Draca was part of the victorious team as the Caribbean Tigers triumphed in the competition, defeating the New York Strikers by 56 runs in the final. Josh Brown's explosive 60-run knock off just 18 balls helped the Tigers post 125 runs in their allotted 10 overs. In response, the Strikers were dismissed for 69 in 8.1 overs, with Lakmal claiming three wickets for the Tigers.