Did Tilak Varma make a ‘mega’ mistake by staying with MI for Rs 8 crore ahead of IPL 2025 Auction?

Tilak is the most successful 23 or under player in the IPL. Nitish Reddy and Angkrish Raghuvanshi might not be far behind or even ahead in talent, but they haven’t performed consistently like Tilak.

Tilak Varma‘s in the news. The southpaw just became the second youngest T20I centurion for India yesterday and showed everyone that he’s here to belong. It’s not that Tilak had many doubters, but such is the competition that many doubted his selection in the T20I setup. Those questions have been answered, but new queries have also arisen.

The biggest one of which is, should Tilak Varma have stayed with the Mumbai Indians (MI)? We are a mere 10 days away from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, and one has to wonder what amount Tilak would have been sold for the auction table in Jeddah. Did the 22-year-old make a mistake by settling for Rs 8 crore, or was it the right call?

Tilak Verma’s close connection with MI

Tilak was picked up by MI at the 2022 IPL mega auction for Rs 1.7 crore. The left-hander was just 19 at the time and was expectedly ecstatic by going to the 5-time champions and earning 8.5 times more than his base price of Rs 20 lakh.

“I was confident of playing IPL but never expected to get this price-tag. It’s a dream come true for me to play with a team I always loved. It will give me a perfect opportunity to learn and hone my skills, playing alongside the greats,” Tilak had said after the auction.

He admitted that his family was struggling during the time and the paycheck would ease things out for them. Naturally, he was grateful to MI.

Tilak Varma’s IPL price of Rs 8 crore, justified?

Determined to perform, he paid the franchise fully in just one season. Tilak scored nearly 400 runs, but his strike rate was that high (131.02). Next season (2023), he scored a little under 350 runs but averaged over 40 and struck at over 160. In IPL 2024, he got over 400 runs with an average of a touch under 40 and a strike of over 145.

At 22, he’s already had three great seasons. Many don’t even perform this well in their entire careers. Only five players in the history of the IPL averaged more than 39 and struck at over 145. Of these, only two have played more matches than Tilak Varma and have a better strike rate than him. These two players are AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle. That’s the company Tilak’s in.

So, if we are talking about just price tags, Tilak would have earned more than Rs 8 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. But due to sentiment and loyalty involved, the southpaw has stayed with MI. Of course, there is a big possibility that he will become the face of the franchise in the coming years, and that’s why he might be thinking not about the next year or the year after but of the next decade.