Mahipal Lomror on IPL 2025 Auction: ‘Prefer playing matches over getting paid more’

In 35 IPL innings, Mahipal Lomror has scored 527 runs at a strike rate of 141.28. Each season, he has expanded his scoring range, excelling against pace and facing top international bowlers with growing confidence.

Rajasthan’s Captain Mahipal Lomror during Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match between Rajasthan and Hyderabad at Niranjan Shah Stadium in Rajkot on Wednesday November 27, 2024. | Photo Credit: VIJAY SONEJI

The bidding process during the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction no longer excites Mahipal Lomror like it used to when he was 17.

While he doesn’t take an IPL contract for granted, his focus has shifted. For him, it’s not about the money anymore; instead, the 25-year-old is more concerned with which team can best contribute to his career development. This shift has come through conversations with his father, Krishan Kumar Lomror.

“He (My father) doesn’t care much about bidding. Instead, he thinks about where I am going, how I am going to contribute to the team, and if I am going to get enough chances in that set up,” Lomror, who was bought by Gujarat Titans for Rs. 1.70 crores on Sunday, told Sportstar.

“I would rather go to that team where I play in 10 games. That is much better for me career-wise than going to a team where I am getting Rs. 1-2 crores more,” he added.

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For seven successive years, Lomror earned a maximum of Rs 95 lakhs per season. This year, too, he was confident in securing a contract given his recent form in domestic cricket and his previous season with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

“I was expecting that there might be a good bid. I expected a similar sort of a bid that eventually came because my last (IPL) season went well in whatever position I got a chance, and my current domestic season was also going well,” Lomror, who recently scored an unbeaten 300 for Rajasthan against Uttarakhand in a Ranji Trophy match, said.

In his 35 IPL innings, the left-handed batter has scored 527 runs at a strike rate of 141.28. With each year, he has improved his range of scoring, especially against pace, facing top international bowlers.

“When I started playing IPL around 2017-18, I used to feel the difference (in pace) since we are not habitual of playing 140 kmph deliveries in domestic and local cricket. Firstly, you are unable to play the pace and then to hit it is a different challenge altogether. Over the years, I have improved in that aspect,” Lomror, who made his IPL debut in 2018 for Rajasthan Royals, explained.

“Earlier people used to have this perception about me that I can only hit spinners, that I am just a spin hitter who comes in the middle overs. That changed last year. RCB used me as an impact player where I mostly batted in death overs, and I did well against specialist international bowlers,” he added.

Lomror is currently leading Rajasthan in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and the team has responded to the newly appointed captain well, winning three out of three games so far. The youngster picked his leadership skills by observing senior players communicate in the IPL.

“It is important to understand that every player has a different personality, skillset, and ability. As a leader, you need to make sure that they play to the best of their ability,” Lomror said.

“If a player has the ability to score 50 runs, then a leader needs to make sure that player plays to his potential. When you play IPL, you understand this: how senior players talk to you and back you,” he added.

Battle within self

Lomror is from the 2016 batch that played in the U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. From that bunch, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed have already become senior team regulars.

But Lomror hasn’t yet caught the eye. He admits that he hasn’t done enough in the past two years to be at that level.

“Last one or two years, I was putting a lot of pressure on my performances. A lot of my batchmates are now established players in India’s current squad. I kept thinking a lot about all these things - that they are established now, and I am playing Ranji (Trophy) and stuck at the First-Class level - and it took a toll on me,” Lomror said.

Lomror is from the 2016 batch that played in the U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. From that bunch, Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Sarfaraz Khan, Washington Sundar, Avesh Khan, and Khaleel Ahmed have already become senior team regulars. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

In recent times, he realised that this isn’t beneficial and he would rather think about his game and improve.

In the following off-season, Lomror began to work on his fitness and working on skills required in modern-day cricket, which has started to work in his favour so far this season. In five matches of the Ranji Trophy, Lomror has the fourth-most runs - 529 at an average of over 105 while in SMAT, he has scored 83 runs in three innings, striking at 176.59.

“Now I am only thinking about these things and wherever I get an opportunity I will give my best - sometimes it will work, sometimes it won’t but at the end of the day I will be at peace that I gave my 100 per cent, and put in the effort. I don’t want to think about selection and be result-oriented. It’s a process,” Lomror explained.

“Everyone has a timeline and I am waiting for mine, working towards my goal and that’s all I am focusing on right now,” he signed off.