Undoubtedly, the IPL player auctions are one of the crucial aspects of the Indian Premier League or any sports league. Team structuring starts there, with the teams trying to pick the right players for their squads, helping both competitive and financial dynamics.
IPL 2025 Mega Auction, held on November 24-25, 2024, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was one such event. Here’s an overview of everything that took place over those two days. It is also the sixth mega-auction since the tournament began in 2007.
Scale and Spending:
The 10 franchises spent a total of 639.15 crore INR. One hundred eighty-two players were sold, including 62 overseas cricketers. Initially, 577 players (367 Indian and 210 overseas) were shortlisted, from which 182 were picked. The total purse for the team was 120 crore INR, the largest in the tournament.
Record-Breaking Buys:
Rishabh Pant emerged as the most expensive player in IPL auction history, picked by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for 27 crore. He surpassed the previous record of 24.75 crore, which was used to buy Mitchell Starc in 2024. He is set to lead the side now in the 2025 edition. Find out the 10 best buys in IPL auction history here.
Shreyas Iyer was bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹26.75 crore, briefly holding the record before Pant’s bid, highlighting the high value placed on proven Indian leaders.
Shreyas Iyer, who played an integral part in India’s last two ICC tournaments and captained the championship-winning KKR side in 2024, was bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for 26.75 crore. He surpassed Starc’s number first, which was then overshadowed by Pant’s price.
Venkatesh Iyer was re-bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹23.75 crore. He will be repaying his value as an all-rounder after KKR’s 2024 title win.
The record for the youngest player ever to be signed in an IPL auction now belongs to Vaibhav Suryavanshi, a 13-year-old from Bihar, who was bought by Rajasthan Royals (RR) for ₹1.1 crore.
Top Overseas Buy: Jos Buttler went to Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹15.75 crore after some successful season records with his previous franchise, Rajasthan Royals.
Notable Trends:
Indian pacers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar (₹10.75 crore to RCB), Deepak Chahar (₹9.25 crore to MI), and Arshdeep Singh (₹18 crore to PBKS via Right-to-Match) went for high prices, which shows the demand for strong bowling depth. The demand for Indian fast bowlers was especially apparent in this auction.
Spinners like Yuzvendra Chahal (₹18 crore to PBKS) also saw intense bidding.
Post-Auction Developments
Withdrawals and Bans:
New BCCI rules impose a two-year IPL ban on players who withdraw post-auction without legitimate reasons (e.g., injury). Harry Brook, signed by Delhi Capitals for ₹6.25 crore, pulled himself out of the tournament and may face this penalty, though specifics remain unconfirmed.
This rule aims to caution against mid-season exits, which have been an ongoing issue with overseas players.
Replacements:
SRH: Brydon Carse was replaced by Wiaan Mulder
MI: Allah Ghazanfar and Lizaad Williams were replaced by Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Corbin Bosch
KKR: Umran Malik was replaced by Chetan Sakariya
Impact and Sentiment
Financial Escalation:
₹639.15 crore spent in the 2025 Mega Auction is the largest ever. However, it is driven by increased purse sizes and competitive bidding. The record IPL’s $6.2 billion media rights deal (2023-2027) also helped this considerable financial growth.
Fan and Player Reactions:
Posts on X suggest that overseas players felt undervalued compared to Indian stars, which could lead to future pullouts, though no concrete withdrawals beyond Brook have been reported yet.
Conclusion
The IPL auctions remain a major spectacle of strategy, economics, and talent scouting, setting the stage for the 2025 season.
