Former India cricketer turned commentator Aakash Chopra has rated young seamer Arshdeep Singh’s wicket taking prowess over Jasprit Bumrah. Notably, Arshdeep was the first player to be sold at the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) mega auction. The left-arm seamer was sold was sold for a whopping INR 18 crore as Punjab Kings (PBKS) exercised their Right to Match to have him on their squad.
As many as seven franchises showed their interest to sign Arshdeep during the mega auction namely Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Delhi Capitals (DC), Gujarat Titans (GT), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rajasthan Royals (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). However, it was Punjab who managed to retain their star seamer.
Sharing his thoughts on Arshdeep staying in Punjab, Chopra hailed the youngster for his versatility and rated his wicket taking prowess in T20Is above Bumrah.
“They said at the start that they wanted Arshdeep for Rs 18 crore. They would have spent that much only had they retained him. He is a Punjabi and will remain with the Punjabis, and he is very good. New ball, old ball, Indian fast bowler. If someone is able to do that consistently after Bumrah, it’s Arshdeep. In fact, he has run ahead of even Bumrah in terms of wicket-taking prowess (in T20Is). He remains a little expensive but has run ahead of him because he is a wicket-taker,” Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Shreyas Iyer sold for INR 26.75 crore
Arshdeep recently became the second-highest wicket taker for India in T20Is surpassing Bumrah and Bhivneshwar Kumar. The left-arm seamer has 95 wickets from 60 matches at an average of 18.10 and an economy of 8.32. He’s just one wicket away from becoming India’s highest wicket taker in the format and level with Yuzvendra Chahal who has 96 wickets to his name. The wrist spinner was also sold for a whopping INR 18 crore during the auction to Punjab Kings.
Apart from them, Punjab bought Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 crore making him the then most expensive player in the IPL history until Rishabh Pant surpassed him after being bought for INR 27 crore by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
