IPL25
Follow UsSport is fickle. One moment you can be the ‘next big thing’ set to rule the world for the next decade, and the very next, you’ll find yourself completely out of the picture, fighting to stay relevant.
In its 17 years of existence, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has had several success stories, but there have also been cases of individuals completely disappearing after being hyped to be the next superstar.
The IPL 2025 Mega Auction in Saudi Arabia, across November 24 & 25, saw as many as 395 players go unsold but among them, three names stood out, for these were individuals who, not too long ago, were touted to not just become superstars in the league but turn into world class players for their respective countries.
Prithvi Shaw not having an IPL contract is a fact that’s hard to process but that’s precisely the case now with the 25-year-old having gone unsold at the mega auction. Indeed, as many as 120 Indian players, including rookies with no official T20s under their belt, got picked at the mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, but Shaw wasn’t one among them.
It’s one of the most shocking and sad downfalls, for this was an individual who was being labelled the ‘next Sachin’. He debuted for the national team at 18, scored a sizzling ton in his very first appearance and seemed to have the world at his feet.
Shaw’s Test career did not work out the way he’d hoped it would, but, even then, he continued to be an exciting player in the IPL that kept the opposition on their toes. That he was always retained by Delhi Capitals year after year, after being purchased initially in 2018, was a testament to both his potential and the faith DC had in Shaw. For the longest time, he was one of the best powerplay bashers in the league, with his ability to take advantage of field restrictions being second to none.
But a combination of his dwindling returns, fitness, and off-field discipline issues has shockingly resulted in the 25-year-old going unsold, with none of the ten franchises even interested in taking a punt on him.
There is certainly light at the end of the tunnel for Shaw, who is far too talented not to be able to get back into the IPL again, but the road to redemption is going to be a long one.
Kartik Tyagi burst into the scene by enjoying a breakthrough campaign in the 2020 U19 World Cup, but such was his rise that, just a few months later, he found himself as a reserve speedster for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. He played the warmup games representing India ‘A’ and was probably one more injury away from debuting in whites for the national team.
Sunrisers Hyderabad then bought him at the IPL 2022 mega auction for 4 cr. At this point, Tyagi's becoming a mainstay for the national side seemed inevitable.
But two years later, here we are.
Despite the crazy demand for Indian fast bowlers, Tyagi ended up going unsold at the mega auction. That's when veterans such as Ishant Sharma and Mohit Sharma managed to get deals despite being on the wrong side of their 30s.
In a way, Tyagi’s downfall has been steady, with him barely featuring in the IPL over the last three seasons. He played two games in 2022, three in 2023 and made just a solitary appearance in the 2024 season. His returns for Uttar Pradesh have been disappointing during this period too, with him taking just 10 wickets in 13 games since 2022 at an economy of 8.00.
Like Shaw, it’s not going to be easy for Tyagi to make his way back to the top.
Dewald Brevis was touted as the next AB de Villiers in 2022. He was snapped up by the biggest franchise in the league, Mumbai Indians, on the back of a record showing at the U19 World Cup and he played some truly outrageous knocks in his debut season at all of 19 years of age.
Again, he looked like a generational talent that was going to rule world cricket for the next decade.
But it’s November 2024 and here we are. Brevis is 21 and does not have an IPL contract. He’s not broken into the South African T20I side either; he’s struggled for consistency across all leagues he’s been a part of, and thus, the superstardom has been brought to a halt.
That Brevis going unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction did not come as a shock spoke volumes; the hype surrounding him has died down and he is no longer the shiny new toy that people are raving over.
What separates Brevis’ case from Shaw and Tyagi, however, is that he is by no means on a steep downward spiral like the other two. The 21-year-old might not have made it big in T20s, but he’s been on a steady upward trajectory in red-ball cricket, evident by his call-up to the South African Test side for the series against Bangladesh.
Brevis already has three hundreds in 15 first-class games and, just a fortnight ago, smashed a career-best 159 against the Dolphins in the CSA four-day competition (division one).
All of 21 years old, Brevis still has age on his side. His career has unquestionably hit a road bump after getting off to a dream start, but it does seem like the youngster might still be a few months of good cricket away from dragging himself back into the mainstream again.
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