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

New Delhi [India], November 6 (ANI): Italy's right-arm seamer Thomas Draca became the first international cricketer to register his name from the country for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction which is scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25.
Draca has lodged his name in the list of all-rounders category with a base price of Rs. 30 Lakhs. It would be interesting to see whether the IPL franchise shows their excitement to purchase the fast bowler or not in the upcoming mega auction.
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 side went on to win this match by 77 runs. He has so far played four matches for his national side in the shortest format of the game where he has managed to scalp
The fast bowler recently competed for the Brampton Wolves in the Global T20 Canada 2024 and surprised everyone with his exceptional performance. Draca fined as the joint second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with a total of 11 wickets in six matches, averaging 10.63 and with an economy rate of 6.88.
He delivered his top performance of the season against Surrey by taking 3 wickets for 18 runs in four overs, helping his team defend 198 where his team secured a 59-run victory. He also recorded figures of 3/10 and 3/30 against Mississauga and Surrey respectively which aided his team in securing second place on the points table. Brampton was eliminated in the second qualifier of the competition following 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 features 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 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 with 39, West Indies with 33, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka with 29 each, and the USA with 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 able 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. (ANI)