Thomas Draca, an Italian fast bowler, applied for the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, for the first time in the history of international cricket by the nation. It makes the seamer Thomas Draca first Italian to register for an IPL auction which will finally take place on November 24-25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Notably, Draca registered at a base price of INR 30 Lakh and hopes to emerge among 1,574 players who will take the field in the mega-auction of IPL 2025.
Draca was also recently seen during his stint with the Brampton Wolves in the Global T20 Canada 2024 where he showcased his capability. He picked 11 wickets in six matches to find himself at the joint second-highest wicket-taker’s list with a brilliant bowling average of 10.63 and economy rate of 6.88.
His spell of 3/18 in the match against Surrey really came in handy to defend Brampton’s total of 198. The consistent deliveries throughout the match also came in handy in the matches against Mississauga and Surrey, when he picked 3/10 and 3/30, respectively, to propel the Wolves into second in the points table before their exit in Qualifier 2.
First Italian to register for an IPL auction has already made his international debut
Internationally, Draca made his debut for Italy in June 2024 and bowled out two Luxembourg players for just 15 runs. Since then, he has taken eight wickets at an average of 8.50 and an economy rate of 4.25 in four T20Is, his best being 3/9 against the Isle of Man.
It came just days after the former left-arm seamer became the first Italian player for MI Emirates in the inaugural UAE ILT20 season, after the signing was confirmed yesterday, as he looks forward to a shot at playing Indian Premier League cricket in his maiden overseas stint.
Meanwhile, franchises will look to snap up 204 overseas stars when the IPL auction arrives in 2025-the pool comprises 409 overseas cricketers, with 34 different countries represented and, in an interesting aspect of this story, Draca being the only Italian cricket player.
Also, see: List of players available for IPL 2025 mega auction in Riyadh