
Tags: IPL 2025
Published on: November 25, 2024
The IPL 2025 Mega Auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24-25 saw a significant change in the team composition. 574 players competed for 204 slots in the auction, with 366 Indian and 208 foreign players, including participants from the USA and Scotland. Teams entered with improved strategies, taking advantage of salary cap increases and the right-to-match (RTM) rule, which allowed them to re-acquire certain free agents.
Key Highlights:
Top marquee players:
Set 1 includes big names like Mitchell Starc, Jos Buttler, Rishabh Pant and Kagiso Rabada, all with a base price starting at ₹2 crore. These players saw an intense bidding war as teams looked for game-changers for the upcoming season.
Set 2 featured KL Rahul, Liam Livingstone and Yuzvendra Chahal, adding more excitement to the marquee segment.
Player categories:
Players were organized into sets based on roles: batsmen, all-rounders, bowlers, wicketkeepers and spinners. This ensured a diverse range of options for franchises to fill specific positions in their squads.
Prominent players like Harry Brook, Devon Conway and Ravichandran Ashwin fetched significant bids.
Strategic adjustments:
The introduction of a cap on the prices of foreign players has increased the value for Indian players, especially uncapped players. Franchises such as Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad were particularly aggressive, given their considerable available budgets.
Auction Environment and Trends:
Held at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah, the auction brought a global flavour, reflecting the IPL’s ever-growing international appeal. The program was telecast live Star Sports and streamed JioCinemaEnsuring fan engagement worldwide
For more detailed insights into team-wise retention, bidding strategy and the full player list, you can explore the full breakdown of the auction set