Rising stars & IPL picks set to ignite bidding wars at MPL’s first auction in city

Indore: The city is set to host the first-ever IPL-style auction of Madhya Pradesh League on March 31, with franchises preparing to bid aggressively for some of the state's top cricketing talent.Established names like Avesh Khan, Saransh Jain, Kuldeep Sen and Aniket Verma are expected to lead the action, while emerging prospects such as recent IPL recruits Mangesh Yadav, Akshat Raghuwanshi and Shivang Kumar add extra excitement for teams looking to balance experience with youth. A total of 243 players are set to go under the hammer this season.The auction has divided players into four categories based on experience and recent performances. Category A, considered the icon players, includes top performers like Avesh Khan, Aniket Verma, Mangesh Yadav, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Shivang Kumar and Kuldeep Sen, along with seasoned players Saransh Jain and Kumar Kartikeya.These players have either been part of IPL franchises or India A squads in the past two seasons and carry a base price of Rs 3 lakh. A total of 10 players have been listed in this top category.Category B features 22 domestic performers, who have played for senior teams in the Ranji Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy or Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy during the 2024–25 and 2025–26 seasons. Players such as Aryan Pandey, Ajay Rohera, Shubham Sharma, Rishabh Singh Chouhan and Himanshu Mantri are among those expected to draw interest, each with a base price of Rs 1.5 lakh.Category C highlights 29 young talents from MPCA junior squads, including Akhil Nigote Yadav, Akshat Dwivedi, Aryan Deshmukh, Saransh Surana and Pushkar Vishwakarma, all starting at Rs 75,000. Category D, the largest pool, lists 181 players, who have competed in tournaments such as the JN Bhaya Trophy or Madhavrao Scindia Trophy over the past two seasons, with a base price of Rs 50,000. This group includes Mihir Hirwani, Parth Sahani, Aman Bhadoria, Arpit Patel, Ashwin Das and Lucky Mishra.Ahead of the auction, seven key players have already been retained, reducing the purse for franchises from Rs 50 lakh. Venkatesh Iyer leads the list for Indore Pink Panthers at Rs 12.5 lakh, followed by Arshad Khan, Bhopal Leopards and Rajat Patidar, Gwalior Cheetahs. Jabalpur Royal Lions have retained Rahul Batham, Bundelkhand Bulls have backed Abhishek Pathak, while Rewa Jaguars and Chambal Ghariyals have secured Prithviraj Tomar and Tripuresh Singh respectively."Franchises will be closely watching players like Madhav Tiwari, Sagar Solanki, Aniket Verma, Akshat Raghuwanshi and Shivang Kumar, based on their recent performances in domestic cricket and last season's MPL," said Devashish Nilosey, a cricket expert following the league.With marquee names locked in and a deep pool of talent available, the auction promises to be a defining moment for the MPL's debut IPL-style auction system, setting the stage for an exciting third season.