The Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction began in a thunderous manner as several big names were sold for a whopping price from the Marquee players set on Sunday, November 24 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Arshdeep Singh, Jos Buttler among others triggered a bidding war among the ten franchises who broke their banks to have them on their squad.
Rishabh Pant hit the jackpot by becoming the highest paid cricketer 27 crores in IPL history to pip Shreyas Iyer who earned his highest price 26.75 crs to be sold to Punjab Super Kings. The marquee sets auction started by Arshdeep Singh gave various moments of ups and downs with RTM cards to great use in the first half of the Auction.
Punjab Kings Retain Arshdeep Singh For Rs 18 Crore Using RTM
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.
Having emerged as one of the strike bowlers in the short format for India on the international stage, Arshdeep Singh has masterfully carved out his reputation as a specialist with the white-ball, having amassed 95 wickets over 59 matches for India.
His skill was there for all to witness as Arshdeep Singh plundered the ranks of all who faced him in the T20 World Cup earlier this year, where he scalped 17 wickets in 8 matches, at an average of 12.47 to send a message out to the cricketing world that he had indeed arrived and was here to stay.
His career in the IPL has been no less, having reaped 76 wickets in 65 matches since making his debut in 2019. Arshdeep though elevated his game to a whole other level last season in IPL 2024, where he teamed up with Harshal Patel to form a lethal pace duo, scalping 19 wickets in 14 matches for the Punjab Kings.
Despite his wondrous performances and his reputation across the international stage in the short format, Punjab Kings chose to let the pacer walk, opening up the opportunity for franchises galore who can recruit the speedster to lead their bowling attack potential.
Shreyas Iyer hits the jackpot, smashes Mitchell Starc’s record with Rs 26.75 cr deal
Shreyas Iyer was the third player up for sale from the first set of marquee players and KKR opened the bidding in an attempt to buy back their title-winning captain. However, they dropped out of the bidding at INR 10 crore, after which DC and PBKS were competing for Shreyas, with both teams needing captains. PBKS, who came in with the largest purse of INR 110.5 crore, won the bid at INR 26.75 crore.
Indian cricket team batter Shreyas Iyer became the costliest player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction history. Shreyas, who was the Kolkata Knight Riders captain in IPL 2024, was bought for a mammoth sum of Rs 26.75 crore by Punjab Kings. Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals were locked in a huge bidding war for the star batter but it was Punjab who finally emerged victorious. Previously, the biggest auction buy was Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc who joined KKR for Rs 24.75 Crore
The joy however was shortlisted when Rishabh Pant miraculously pipped Shreyas Iyer within 7 minutes in RTM match ups to be the highest sold cricketer in IPL history for 27 crores
Rishabh Pant pips Shreyas Iyer to whopping 27 crores in IPL 2025
The IPL champion skipper was finally sold for a whopping INR 26.75 Crore to Punjab Kings (PBKS) becoming the most expensive player in the history of the tournament.
However, his record was short-lived as Rishabh Pant emerged as the most expensive player in the IPL auction as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) were able to acquire his services for INR 27 Crore. Delhi Capitals (DC) exercised their Right to Match for Pant at the bidding for INR 20.75 Crore. However, Lucknow increased the bid to INR 27 Crore and managed to have him on board on for INR 27 Crores.
History has been made at the IPL 2025! Star India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant has become the most expensive player ever in IPL with Lucknow Super Giants picking him up for Rs 27 crore. Rishabh Pant broke Shreyas Iyer’s record, who was picked by Punjab Kings for Rs 26.75 crore. On the record bid, LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka said that they had reserved Rs 26 crore for Pant and they had to ‘slightly’ go up for the star India player.
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) secured Rishabh Pant’s services in the IPL 2025 mega auction with a record-breaking bid of ₹27 crore. Rishabh Pant, known for his explosive batting and leadership skills, attracted heavy interest from multiple teams, resulting in a fierce bidding war in Jeddah, where the auction was held.
Rishabh Pant was the final player in the marquee set 1 and garnered immense attention right from the start. Lucknow Super Giants opened the bidding, with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) joining the fray almost immediately. The initial bids quickly soared past ₹5 crore, crossing the ₹10 crore mark in no time.
At this stage, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) entered the race, intensifying the competition. SRH and LSG raised their bids in rapid succession, pushing the price to a staggering ₹20 crore. Despite SRH’s aggressive bidding, LSG ultimately sealed the deal at ₹27 crore after a brief scare from Delhi Capitals (DC), who nearly used their Right to Match (RTM) card. Lucknow Super Giants now boast a formidable middle order with Pant and Nicholas Pooran, aiming to dominate the upcoming season.
Delhi Capitals gets KL Rahul for an absolute steal for 14 crores
KL Rahul, India’s star batter, went to Delhi Capitals for INR 14 crore, as the franchise fended off stiff competition for his signature. The bidding for Rahul kicked off with Kolkata Knight Riders leading the charge, only for Royal Challengers Bangalore to quickly counter. At INR 11 crore, RCB pulled out, allowing Delhi Capitals to enter the fray. As the price continued to soar, KKR also stepped back, and at INR 12.25 crore, it seemed like the Capitals were on the verge of securing KL Rahul’s signature.
However, just as it looked settled, Chennai Super Kings made a late entry into the bidding. But even they withdrew when the price hit INR 14 crore. KL Rahul’s former team, Lucknow Super Giants, opted not to use their Right to Match (RTM) option, and the Delhi Capitals ultimately claimed the star batter.
KL Rahul was the captain of LSG, and it is expected that the wicketkeeper-batter will be handed a similar role at the Capitals, with the side unable to use the RTM for Rishabh Pant.
Indian bowlers makes merry as Yuzvendra Chahal bags whopping 18 crores from Punjab Kings
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.
Back in 2023, Yuzvendra Chahal became the leading wicket-taker in the history of the IPL, going past the legendary Dwayne Bravo, who is the mentor for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Last year, Chahal also became the first bowler in the history of the tournament to take 200 wickets.
Gujarat Titans started the bidding at a price of INR 2 crore, after which Chennai Super Kings (CSK) joined in. But both teams backed out soon, following which Punjab Kings (PBKS) and the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) also joined the auction. In the end, it was PBKS, who had the last laugh.
Yuzvendra Chahal’s IPL career in brief
Yuzvendra Chahal started his career while playing for the Mumbai Indians (MI), after which he became one of the key members of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). After playing a couple of seasons for the Rajasthan Royals (RR), he will now ply his trade for the Kings as his fourth team in the IPL.
In 160 matches, Yuzvendra Chahal has picked up 205 wickets at an economy rate of 7.84 with six four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul to show for his efforts. Yuzvendra Chahal won the Purple Cap in 2022 when the Royals played in the finals and lost to the Titans.
In that season, he picked up 27 wickets from 17 matches and made an impact throughout the duration of the tournament. He is also the top wicket-taker for RCB, having taken 139 wickets from 113 matches since his debut back in 2014. Yuzvendra Chahal is also the all-time top wicket-taker for India in the history of Men’s T20Is. Overall, he is second in the list of wicket-takers in all T20Is for India after Deepti Sharma.
RCB refuse RTM for Mohammed Siraj, Gujarat buy pacer for Rs 12.25 crore
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.
It came as a shock when RCB did not opt to get Siraj back into the team. The franchise had a slow start in the IPL 2025 mega auction as they did not go for the marquee players in the first two rounds. Siraj was not retained by RCB ahead of the auction as they retained only 3 players in the name of Virat Kohli for Rs 21 crore, Rajat Patidar for Rs 11 crore and Yash Dayal as an uncapped player for Rs 4 crore.
There were hopes that they would look to get Siraj, their leading pacer, into the team at the auction, but that did not happen. However, it was the Gujarat Titans that managed to get the services of the star India speedster who is known for his fiery pace and ability to attract pace from the surface.
The Indian pacer began his IPL journey with SunRisers Hyderabad in 2017 and shifted his base to RCB in 2018 and has been a regular there ever since. Siraj is the third-highest wicket-taker for RCB, having taken 83 wickets in 87 games.
Mohammed Shami roped in by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 10 crore at IPL 2025 mega auction
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.
Shami entered the IPL mega auction first in the marquee set 2 after the first six players were done. Kolkata Knight Riders were the first ones to bid for the former Gujarat Titans speedster. Chennai Super Kings joined the bidding war with KKR before Lucknow Super Giants also came in. While Shami was set to be roped in by KKR for 9.75 crore and Gujarat Titans not looking interested in the Indian speedster, Sunrisers Hyderabad joined in. The IPL 2024 finalists SRH finally got Shami for Rs 10 crore.
Mohammed Shami was in scintillating form with the ball in hand during the course of the ODI World Cup 2023. The right-arm pacer bagged as many as 24 wickets in seven games at a jaw-dropping average of 10.70 and an economy rate of 5.26. He also claimed a four-fer and three five-wicket hauls in the marquee tournament.
Shami finished the multi-nation tournament as the leading wicket-taker and also broke Zaheer Khan’s record for taking the most number of wickets in a single edition of the ODI World Cup. However, Shami’s fortunes turned upside down after the World Cup as he underwent surgery to get his Achilles tendon repaired in February.
Following his surgery, Shami spent a few weeks at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bengaluru for his rehab and made his eagerly awaited return to competitive cricket in the Ranji Trophy fixture between his domestic side Bengal and Madhya Pradesh.
Shami claimed figures of 4/54 in the first innings of the game and picked up 3/102 in the second innings against Madhya Pradesh to help Bengal win the game by 11 runs. The 34-year-old was also a part of Bengal’s playing XI in their Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy campaign opener against Punjab.
Shami bowled his quota of four overs and conceded 46 runs in the game. The only wicket which came his way was of Nehal Wadhera.
Notably, Shami has represented four teams in his IPL career. He made his IPL debut for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013 and played the next four seasons for Delhi Capitals, till 2018. He was bought by Punjab Kings before the 2019 season and served the franchise till 2021. Shami played the 2022 and 2023 IPL seasons for Gujarat Titans. He was unavailable for the previous edition.
Foreign marquee players sold in IPL
PBKS, however, did not go for their RTM card for South Africa speedster Kagiso Rabada as Gujarat Titans acquired him for INR 10.75 crore. Gujarat Titans, on the other hand, roped in England’s white-ball captain Jos Buttler for INR 15.75 crore, while Mitchell Starc went to Delhi Capitals for INR 11.75 crore. David Miller goes to LSG FOR 7.50 Crores.