The 2025 IPL mega auction has concluded in Jeddah. Teams spent over Rs 639.15 crore on more than 180 players throughout this two-day period. Rishabh Pant was the highest-priced acquisition, succeeded by Shreyas Iyer, while David Warner, Shardul Thakur, and Prithvi Shaw surprisingly remained unsold.
Franchises are endeavoring to identify the optimal mix in pursuit of the coveted title. For the majority of fans, the IPL’s annual lucrative event—the Player Auction—mostly revolves around observing the price tags. The discussion on the most balanced team will persist until the commencement of IPL 2025 next year, while the expectation that the two-day auction would be the most extravagant in terms of price tags was realized during the two-day events at the Abadi Al Johar Arena last week.
Now that the dust has settled let’s review the highlights—or perhaps lowlights, depending on your favorite team—of the 2025 IPL Auction.
Records Broken: It wasn’t just Pant and Iyer in the spotlight
The focus extended beyond Rishabh Pant (Rs 27 crore) and Shreyas Iyer (Rs 26.75 crore), who secured the two highest bids in history; the quantity of successful bids beyond Rs 10 crore has virtually quadrupled compared to the last auction. In Jeddah, an impressive 21 players commanded a price of Rs 10 crore or more. At the most recent major auction in 2022 in Bengaluru, there were 11 players of this kind.
Undoubtedly, the increase in the auction purse from Rs 90 crore to Rs 120 crore between 2022 and 2025 has contributed significantly. However, the exorbitant price tags indicated that the demands presented by specific players before the auction were not unwarranted.
A Staggering Purse Overall
Undoubtedly, the increase in the auction purse from Rs 90 crore to Rs 120 crore between 2022 and 2025 has contributed significantly. However, the exorbitant price tags indicated that the demands presented by specific players before the auction were not unwarranted.
This is remarkable for future generations since it illustrates the possibilities accessible to them. Undoubtedly, prices will escalate as the total auction sums augment. More to the point, we shouldn’t be astonished by the general increase of high-value players. Although we did not anticipate a player exceeding Rs 25 crore, it is noteworthy. However, since the guy is a captain and a seasoned Indian athlete, it seems logical. It proves that franchises are prepared to invest significantly because of the scarcity of such talent.
Of course, we aren’t going to get excited just yet because a player’s worth does not necessarily correspond to his value at the auction table. Fans should now concentrate on studying the squads instead of only fixating on price tags.
2025 IPL Winner Odds
If you’re in the market for online IPL betting and tips, you’ll be interested to know if the IPL auction affected the betting odds regarding next season’s projected winner. Let’s take a look at the latest post-auction sportsbook:
(odds correct as of December 2024).
|
Team |
Odds to Win the IPL 2025 |
|
Mumbai Indians |
6.00 |
|
Chennai Super Kings |
7.00 |
|
Kolkata Knight Riders |
7.50 |
|
Lucknow Super Giants |
8.00 |
|
Gujarat Titans |
9.00 |
|
Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
9.00 |
|
Sunrisers Hyderabad |
9.00 |
|
Rajasthan Royals |
10.00 |
|
Delhi Capitals |
13.00 |
|
Punjab Kings |
13.00 |
IPL Auction 2025: Day 1 Highlights
On the inaugural day of the Indian Premier League auction, the cash was splashed in a big way, as the teams involved couldn’t close their wallets. On Sunday, the ten organizations used significant financial resources to acquire the priority players from their designated shortlists and broke a few records along the way.
Lucknow Super Giants acquired star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crore, making him the most expensive purchase on the day. Thus, the franchises spent INR 467.95 crore on the player.
The first day of the two-day auction began with 84 players out of 577 available. Four of the 68 were maintained via the Right-to-Match card, while the remainder were sold.
The Punjab Kings were predictably the most assertive purchasers in the auction. They entered with the largest remaining budget of INR 110.50 crore and acquired eight players for INR 88 crore.
The top 5 buys of Day 1
- Lucknow Super Giants purchased Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crore
- Punjab Kings purchased Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 crore
- Kolkata Knight Riders purchased Venkatesh Iyer for INR 23.75 crore
- Punjab Kings purchased Arshdeep Singh for INR 18 crore
- Punjab Kings purchased Yuzvendra Chahal for INR 18 crore
IPL Auction 2025: Day 2 Highlights
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the highest-priced player on the second day of the 2025 IPL super auction, as RCB acquired the seasoned bowler for INR 10.75 crore.
Nonetheless, the move that likely garnered more attention than Rishabh Pant’s notable INR 27 crore acquisition by LSG was Rajasthan Royals’ purchase of 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi for INR 1.10 crore. This news may evoke feelings of confusion, astonishment, joy, or perplexity, accompanied by an existential crisis and a spectrum of emotions; yet, we hope for a promising future for this young adolescent.
The end of an Era
The second day also signified the conclusion of an era in the IPL. Since his debut in 2009 as a relatively obscure player without prior first-class cricket experience in Australia, David Warner has participated in every IPL season except for 2018, during which he was serving a suspension. Until 2021, it was hardly considered that he would need to participate in an IPL auction.
Last Monday, the 38-year-old, who departed from every aspect of international cricket this year, remained unsold. Another IPL hero who remained unsold was New Zealand’s esteemed Kane Williamson. Any prospects of witnessing James Anderson in the IPL were extinguished when he was not selected at the outset of the expedited auction process.