IPL Auction 2025: Robin Uthappa kicks aside Ishan Kishan, predicts top 5 most expensive wicketkeepers

Former Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa has named five wicketkeeper-batters likely to fetch the highest bids during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Uthappa predicted that Rishabh Pant would earn between ₹25 to ₹28 crore and potentially become the highest-paid player at the auction.

The IPL 2025 auction is scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25. Several wicketkeeper-batters, including MS Dhoni, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Heinrich Klaasen, Nicholas Pooran, Prabhsimran Singh, and Abishek Porel, have already been retained by their respective teams.

I Would Say Between 25 and 28 Crores - Robin Uthappa

During a discussion on Star Sports, Robin Uthappa said that Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Jos Buttler, Quinton de Kock, and Phil Salt are his top five wicketkeepers for the IPL 2025 auction. Uthappa predicted that Pant could become the highest-paid player at the auction with bids of around ₹25 crore.

"How much? I would say between 25 and 28 crores. I think he will get the big bucks. He will be the highest-paid player, in my opinion, in this auction, and I think he should be. I am excited for him and I really want him to be the highest-paid player. I think he will augur the kind of price from a couple of teams for sure," Uthappa said.

Punjab Kings have the largest remaining budget of ₹110.50 crore for the auction, while Rajasthan Royals have the smallest with ₹41 crore. Rishabh Pant, who was released by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the auction, was their highest run-scorer in the IPL 2024 with 446 runs at a strike rate of 155.40.

Punjab Against Will Come into The Fray - Robin Uthappa

The former India batter said that Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) could spend heavily to secure Rishabh Pant in the auction. He mentioned that RCB might consider him for a dual role as a wicketkeeper and captain.

"Now which are those couple of teams who can afford that much, to spend that much on a player - no-brainer I would say. I would say Punjab again will come into the fray. Maybe RCB to a certain extent. They can look at a wicketkeeper-cum-captain as well and he likes to lead. So that could be a role there in RCB as well," Uthappa added.

RCB Could Be A Massive Contender For KL Rahul - Robin Uthappa

In the same discussion, Robin Uthappa said that Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Delhi Capitals, and Gujarat Titans could be interested in acquiring KL Rahul. He stated that Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings won't bid for Rahul during the auction.

"I think RCB could be a massive contender for KL Rahul. Punjab, I don't think he will probably go back there. Perhaps someone like Delhi could be interested. Even GT could be interested. I am not quite sure about CSK because you have already got a captain. He has been a leader before, so he will perhaps look forward to a role like that," Uthappa said.

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