Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Nov 24 (UNI) The IPL 2025 Mega Auction kicked off with excitement as all ten franchises sought to reshape their rosters for the upcoming season. This two-day event is set to redefine team dynamics and strategies in the world’s most lucrative cricket league.
This year, the auction purse for each team was raised to ₹120 crore, up from ₹100 crore in the previous season. After ₹30 crore was allocated for mandatory retentions, teams entered the auction with varying budgets depending on their pre-auction decisions. Punjab Kings boasted the largest remaining purse at ₹110.5 crore, while Rajasthan Royals had the smallest at ₹41 crore.
In a groundbreaking moment, Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history, sold to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a record ₹27 crore. The intense bidding war saw LSG and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) competing fiercely for Pant, with SRH initially placing a bid of ₹11.5 crore.
LSG quickly joined the battle, pushing the price to ₹17.5 crore, and the two teams engaged in a relentless exchange of bids. Eventually, LSG sealed the deal, surpassing the previous record of ₹26.25 crore, set by Shreyas Iyer earlier in the day.
Iyer was secured by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹26.25 crore after a tense bidding contest with Delhi Capitals (DC). These record-breaking deals underscore the heightened competition among franchises to bolster their squads ahead of IPL 2025.
Earlier, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc made headlines when he was sold to Delhi Capitals for ₹11.75 crore, taking a significant pay cut from his previous IPL price of ₹24.75 crore. Other notable acquisitions included England's Jos Buttler, who joined Gujarat Titans for ₹15.75 crore, and South Africa's Kagiso Rabada, who went to Gujarat for ₹10.75 crore.
Yuzvendra Chahal made history as the most expensive Indian spinner in IPL history, sold to Punjab Kings for ₹18 crore. The bidding was intense, with teams like Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Gujarat Titans (GT), and LSG vying for his signature. Chahal's excellent form, including a stellar 4/9 performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, made him a coveted asset.
KL Rahul was another major acquisition, sold to Delhi Capitals for ₹14 crore after a bidding war that involved Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Despite LSG’s RTM option, DC secured the star wicketkeeper-batsman.
England’s Liam Livingstone joined RCB for ₹8.75 crore, while Indian seamer Mohammed Siraj moved to Gujarat Titans for ₹12.25 crore after a bidding contest with CSK and Rajasthan Royals (RR).
The IPL Auction 2025 opened with IPL Chairman Arun Dhumal welcoming attendees and expressing gratitude to the Indian team for their recent T20 World Cup triumph. Auctioneer Mallika Sagar then kicked off proceedings, with the first player, Arshdeep Singh, setting the tone with a heated bidding battle.
In another stunning development, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) retained all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for a whopping ₹23.75 crore, nearly twelve times his base price of ₹2 crore, after a tense duel with RCB.
Other eye-catching moves included PBKS securing Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis for ₹11 crore, and CSK bringing back Glenn Maxwell for ₹4.2 crore after edging out CSK in a spirited contest. Veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin returned to CSK for ₹9.75 crore, following stiff competition from Rajasthan Royals.
In an unpredictable twist, players like Devdutt Padikkal and David Warner went unsold, shocking many.
The auction also saw uncapped players making a big impact. Uncapped wicketkeeper Naman Dhir was sold to Mumbai Indians for ₹5.25 crore, while uncapped pacer Rasikh Dar fetched ₹6 crore after a fierce battle between RCB, SRH, and DC.
The growing recognition of uncapped talent was evident, with several emerging stars bagging substantial deals. Uncapped pacer Vyshak Vijaykumar secured a staggering ₹1.8 crore, and Ashutosh Sharma’s bidding war resulted in a ₹3.8 crore deal for Delhi Capitals.
With several uncapped players now joining the ranks of IPL crorepatis, the auction continues to highlight the league’s expanding scope for fresh talent, offering promising young cricketers a platform to make their mark. UNI BDN GNK