The highly anticipated IPL 2025 mega auction is already creating a lot of buzz, and Aakash Chopra had made waves earlier by predicting that Arshdeep Singh will emerge as the most expensive pacer of the two-day event in Jeddah on November 24 and 25. The former Indian batter Aakash Chopra’s bold claim came as a surprise, as many expected Mohammed Siraj, who was recently released by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), to top the chart as the most expensive bowler at the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction in Saudi Arabia.
To be the prediction from Aakash Chopra quite accurate Arshdeep Singh indeed got 18 crores in IPL 2025. Not only Arshdeep Singh but all the bowlers got more stakes in the IPL 2025 Auction. Arshdeep Singh has been an integral part of Punjab Kings (PBKS) since 2019 as well as the India cricket team since 2022 and has performed exceedingly well.
Indian bowlers make happy hunting ground in IPL 2025
Punjab Kings (PBKS) have retained Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh with the Right-To-Match for a staggering Rs 18 Crore at the IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). Sunrisers Hyderabad beat all others in the bidding war that ensued for the pacer among Rajasthan Royals, Gujarat Titans with a staggering bid of Rs 15.75 Crore. But, in the final moment, the Punjab Kings chose to use their RTM to retain Arshdeep’s services.
After playing for Mumbai Indians, RCB and Rajasthan Royals (RR), Yuzvendra Chahal found a new team in Punjab Kings for the upcoming season. Yuzvendra Chahal will play for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. In the mega auction that took place on Sunday, November 24, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Chahal was bought for INR 18 crore after an intense bidding war. Mohammed Siraj sold to Gujarat Titans for Rs 12.25 crore as RCB did not retain the star India pacer.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru refused to use the Right To Match (RTM) option for Mohammed Siraj as he was sold for Rs 12.25 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad roped in former Gujarat Titans speedster Mohammed Shami for a price of Rs 10 crore as they won the bidding war against Kolkata Knight Riders at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah on Sunday, November 24.
Mohammed Shami had undergone surgery in February to repair his Achilles tendon. Since then he has been working really hard to regain his fitness levels and make a comeback to the international scene. RCB acquired Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s services for 10.75 crores to be some notable bowlers in the auction.
Aakash Chopra has expressed delight about bowlers raking the high stakes at the IPL 2025 auction.
Aakash Chopra is happy that bowlers have got more money and shares his opinion on IPL 2025 Auction
Aakash Chopra has expressed delight about bowlers raking in the moolah at the IPL 2025 auction. While acknowledging that batters were still prized acquisitions, he noted that bowlers weren’t too far behind.
Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal, who were bought by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹18 crore apiece, were the joint most expensive bowlers at the auction. Jasprit Bumrah, Pat Cummins and Rashid Khan were retained by their respective franchises for ₹18 crore apiece ahead of the auction.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel ‘Aakash Chopra’, the former India opener reflected on some of the trends at the IPL 2025 auction. As for bowlers earning big bucks alongside the batters, he said
“Bowlers have made a lot of money and that makes me very, very happy. For a very long time, it was said that this is a batters’ game. Batters come and make runs and win matches and are given more money. Even if you see now, it’s right – Virat Kohli ₹21 crore, Heinrich Klaasen ₹23 crore and Nicholas Pooran ₹21 crore.”
“The batters have got the money – Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, but don’t rule out the bowlers anymore,” Chopra added.
Rishabh Pant (₹27 crore), Shreyas Iyer (₹26.75 crore) and Venkatesh Iyer (₹23.75 crore) were the most expensive buys at the IPL 2025 auction. Heinrich Klaasen (₹23 crore), Nicholas Pooran (₹21 crore) and Virat Kohli (₹21 crore) were the most expensive retentions ahead of the auction.
Aakash Chopra on the bowlers’ price tags in IPL 2025
While acknowledging that bowlers might not have earned as much as the most expensive batters, Aakash Chopra noted that many of them drew big bids.
“No one went till ₹25 crore and was not going to go as well because the auction dynamics were like that. However, Arshdeep Singh ₹18 crore, Yuzvendra Chahal ₹18 crore, Noor Ahmad ₹10 crore, Ravichandran Ashwin ₹9.75 crore, and then you go towards the fast bowlers – Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Kagiso Rabada, Jofra Archer – they were all very expensive,” he said in the same video.
The cricketer-turned-commentator pointed out that bowlers, unlike batters, need to perform their roles in every game.
“The list doesn’t end here. After that, you can see Deepak Chahar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, and then Mayank Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah among the retained players. The bowlers have earned the money. It felt good because all batters might not get to bat, but you need five bowlers. Every good bowler is 20% of your bowling,” Chopra observed.
Apart from Arshdeep Singh, Trent Boult (₹12.50 crore), Josh Hazlewood (₹12.50 crore), Jofra Archer (₹12.50 crore), Mohammed Siraj (₹12.25 crore), Mitchell Starc (₹11.75 crore), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (₹10.75 crore), T Natarajan (₹10.75 crore), Kagiso Rabada (₹10.75 crore) and Mohammed Shami (₹10 crore) were the most expensive seamers at the auction. Other than Yuzvendra Chahal, Noor Ahmad (₹10 crore) and Ravichandran Ashwin (₹9.75 crore) were the costliest spinners at the auction.