Sherfane Rutherford, the West Indian batter, has become one of the most sought-after players for day two of the IPL 2025 auction after his record-breaking century in the Abu Dhabi T10 League on Sunday, when the auction opened in Saudi Arabia.
Luckily, Rutherford is yet to come in the IPL auction long list in Jeddah and could be up for grabs on day two with a lot of teams set to eye the West Indies talent.
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Rutherford’s unbeaten 103 off 40 balls in the T10, featuring 10 sixes and 7 boundaries, showcased his ability to dominate bowlers from the first ball. His historic knock, the first century in T10 League history, has likely caught the attention of multiple IPL franchises.
RCB, with a strong core in Jitesh Sharma and Liam Livingstone, still lack a dedicated finisher in their lineup. Rutherford, who briefly played for RCB in 2022, has developed significantly since his IPL stint.
His ability to accelerate in the death overs and handle high-pressure situations makes him an attractive option for the team as they seek to strengthen their lower order.
RCB need to fill the void left by Dinesh Karthik and having an x-factor player like Rutherford will give them flexibility to use the likes of Jitesh and Livingstone more cleverly.
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CSK were on point with their picks on day one of the IPL 2025 auction, splurging on just Noor Ahmad at INR 10 crores to make a strong spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Noor.
Now, their focus shifts to finishers having brought back their top-order batters. They are in need of a finisher who can complement MS Dhoni and Jadeja and will look at Rutherford as a good option.
With his proven ability to handle spin and go big with his hitting, Rutherford fits the profile for Chennai. His skills add a bit of variety to CSK and would be an upgrade over Daryl Mitchell whom they had last year.
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With ₹26.1 crores left in their auction purse after day one, Mumbai Indians can afford to invest in Sherfane Rutherford. The West Indian can seamlessly fill the gap left by Tim David and offer a powerful finishing option alongside Hardik Pandya.
Kieron Pollard, now part of the MI auction strategy team, is familiar with Rutherford’s abilities and could push for his inclusion in the squad.
Mumbai Indians have been watchful with their picks so far, but with the auction going towards the second tier of players, Rutherford is a great pick for MI to add to their fantastic squad they have built carefully so far.
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Punjab Kings have ₹22.5 crores remaining and are looking for a finisher to complement Shashank Singh. Rutherford’s spin-hitting ability and left-handed batting provide the balance Punjab needs. That they have not tried to bid for finishers so far suggest that they are eying an overseas finisher in their ranks.
Rutherford’s potential to be a match-winner in the lower order aligns with Punjab’s aggressive approach to the auction so far.
As Day 2 of the auction gets underway, Rutherford’s recent performances have put him as a must-have player for teams on Monday. The need for an explosive finisher and middle-order stability is a requirement for most teams even after the first day of the IPL 2025 auction and Sherfane Rutherford could go for a fair few bucks this time.
