NEW DELHI: Star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant on Sunday made history at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, becoming the league’s most expensive player with a record-breaking Rs 27 crore bid from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Pant edged past Shreyas Iyer, who fetched Rs 26.75 crore from Punjab Kings, as teams went all out for marquee Indian stars.
Both Pant and Iyer entered the auction after parting ways with their previous teams. Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title earlier this year, briefly held the record as the costliest IPL player before LSG swooped in for Pant. Delhi Capitals used their Right to Match (RTM) card for Pant at Rs 20.75 crore but opted not to match LSG's staggering bid.
Former DC teammates Iyer and Pant have had to deal with adversity in the past couple of years but have shown remarkable resilience and courage to bounce back.
Iyer is expected to captain Punjab Kings, while Pant is likely to lead LSG in the upcoming season. Among other big buys, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal attracted Rs 18 crore from Punjab Kings, while former LSG skipper KL Rahul was picked up by Delhi Capitals for Rs 14 crore.
Sunrisers Hyderabad secured India pacer Mohammed Shami for Rs 10 crore, while left-arm seamer Arshdeep Singh earned Rs 18 crore through Punjab’s RTM card.
South African speedster Kagiso Rabada went to Gujarat Titans for Rs 10.75 crore, highlighting an auction filled with record-breaking bids and tactical moves.
A total of 577 players are in the fray, including 367 Indians and 210 overseas cricketers. The franchises have 204 slots to fill, including 70 designated for overseas players. By the auction's conclusion, each team must assemble a squad of at least 18 players.
The auction is set to conclude on Monday with the teams looking to finalise their squads ahead of the 2025 season.
Here's the list of the players sold during the IPL 2025 auction (ALL PRICES ARE IN INR):
Here's the list of the players unsold during the IPL 2025 auction (ALL PRICES ARE IN INR):
