As the IPL 2025 mega auction is getting close, everyone seems to wait eagerly for the veterans who are going to contribute a lot at the final stage. A league so famous for its young stars, it is still the veteran cricketers with vast experience that come up as the game-changers. We can expect rather intense bidding wars for only a few experienced players who come with an entire treasure trove of knowledge, leadership, and invaluable skills to the table. The top 5 veterans, including match-winning all-rounders, prolific batsmen, and tactical bowlers- Mohammad Nabi, Ravichandran Ashwin, Faf du Plessis, David Warner, and James Anderson-all are ready to take over the auction and could be game-changers in their respective teams for the campaign of IPL 2025.
James Anderson
One of the finest fast bowlers this game has ever seen, James Anderson might have surprised many having him in this list due to his age and no experience with the Indian Premier League. But international cricket, especially the longest format, has seen some recent form that points to the fact that Anderson still has a lot to give. Primarily a Test bowler, skills as a tactician and mastery over swing bowling would bring out a special flavour to the apparatus of any IPL team looking to strengthen their fast bowling arsenal.
Even though in T20I Anderson has not made many appearances as he has just played 19 matches in which he picked 18 wickets with an economy of 7.84.
David Warner
Among one of the T20 giants and a batter who has always delivered for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals, David Warner is an opening batter and has been in great demand in the history of the Indian Premier League. An aggressor himself, he can either anchor or accelerate an innings with ease, thereby making him an incredibly valuable asset for the IPL. He also stands tall as a leader-he captained Sunrisers Hyderabad to an IPL title in 2016.
In Indian Premier League (IPL) Warner has a stellar record, he has played 184 matches in which he has accumulated 6565 runs at a strike rate of 139.77.
Faf du Plessis
Faf du Plessis is surely into the twilight of his career, but if there is any person who has done something even remotely close to outstanding with bat in hand in the IPL, it was him. At 40, the South African was par excellence in fitness and one of the most consistent openers in T20 cricket. Considering that he has captained South Africa and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the past it makes him extremely useful both on and off the field.
In IPL he has played 145 matches and has scored 4571 runs with a strike rate of 136.36.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is arguably the astutest and one of the best bowlers in the game. The off-spinner’s ability to embrace changes in conditions and come up trumps against batsmen with innovative ideas has helped him become an IPL stalwart. Ashwin, with tactical brilliance and experience playing in crunch pressure situations, is sure to be sought after in the 2025 auction.
Ashwin has played 212 matches in IPL and has picked 180 wickets with an economy of 7.12.
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Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi is still the talismanic all-rounder for Afghanistan, and he remains one of the more prized possessions in the T20 circuit. Of course, he’s no spring chicken, but his all-round ability to impact the game through both bat and ball makes him attractive for any franchise. Being an experienced player in international cricket, Nabi brings stability to any team, especially because of his off-spin and destructive hitting down the order. His leadership prowess has been well-audited as he once captained Afghanistan. His calmness under pressure has seen him be a respect across the globe.
He has played a very few IPL matches but he now that he is in the auction pool he is all set to go big. In 24 appearances he has picked 15 wickets.
