Thomas Draca becomes first Italian cricketer to register for IPL 2025 mega auction

Thomas Draca, a right-arm seamer from Italy, has registered for the IPL 2025 mega auction, becoming the first international cricketer from Italy to do so. The auction will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25.

Draca has entered his name in the all-rounders category with a base price of Rs. 30 lakhs.

The Italian speedster made his international debut earlier this year, in June, against Luxembourg, where he registered figures of 2/15 in his four overs. His team went on to win the match by 77 runs. So far, he has played four matches for his national side in the shortest format, where he has managed to take [number of wickets not specified in the original text].

Draca recently competed for the Brampton Wolves in the Global T20 Canada 2024, where he impressed everyone with his exceptional performance. He finished as the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 11 wickets from six matches, averaging 10.63 and maintaining an economy rate of 6.88.

He delivered his best performance of the season against Surrey, taking 3 wickets for 18 runs in four overs, helping his team defend a total of 198 in a 59-run victory. He also recorded figures of 3/10 and 3/30 against Mississauga and Surrey, respectively, which helped his team secure second place on the points table. Brampton was eliminated in the second qualifier of the competition after a five-wicket loss to Toronto Nationals.

Registration for the IPL 2025 player auction has officially closed, with a total of 1,574 players signing up. This includes 1,165 Indian players and 409 overseas players, all competing for a place in the world’s premier T20 league.

The comprehensive list of registered players includes 320 capped players, 1,224 uncapped players, and 30 players from Associate Nations. Specifically, the breakdown includes 48 capped Indian players, 272 capped international players, 152 uncapped Indian players who have previously played in IPL seasons, 3 uncapped international players with prior IPL experience, 965 uncapped Indian players, and 104 uncapped international players.

Among the 409 overseas players, Australia leads with 76 registrations, followed by South Africa with 91, and England with 52. Other notable countries include New Zealand (39), West Indies (33), Afghanistan and Sri Lanka (29 each), and the USA (10 players). Players from Bangladesh (13), Ireland (9), Canada (4), Netherlands (12), Zimbabwe (8), Scotland (2), UAE (1), and Italy (1) have also registered.

With each of the ten IPL franchises allowed to fill a maximum squad of 25 players, 204 slots will be available at the IPL 2025 player auction. The event promises to be highly competitive as teams build their rosters for the next three years.