There was plenty of drama and action on display in Jeddah as multiple record bids and the reunion of multiple players with familiar surroundings ruled the roost on Sunday.
The highly anticipated IPL Auction 2025 lived up to its billing as the franchises splashed out a total sum of Rs 467.95 Crore to rope in stars that could help them build a side that could vie for the coveted Indian Premier League title.
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There was plenty of drama and action on display in Jeddah as multiple record bids and the reunion of multiple players with familiar surroundings ruled the roost on Sunday.
A total of 72 players were priced away, of which 24 were overseas players, while the others were domestic. Four sides used a Right To Match card to hold on to players crucial to their set up.
The biggest story of the day was the sale of star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant, who was paid a mouth-watering 27 Crore Indian Rupees by the Lucknow Super Giants, as the UP-based side go in search of their maiden title.
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Pant’s former teammate, Shreyas Iyer, briefly occupied the top slot in the list of most expensive buys in the history of the tournament as Punjab Kings, who entered the auction with the largest purse of all teams, broke the bank with a bid of Rs 26.75 Crore for the batter.
And in a merry-go-round of Indian skippers, former LSG captain KL Rahul, who was released by the UP-side following a disappointing campaign last year out, was swooped up by Delhi Capitals in a Rs 14 Crore bargain buy.
Homecoming
The auction also witnessed multiple reunions between players and their former sides including CSK’s re-acquisition of Kiwis Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, but more importantly the return of homegrown spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was roped in for Rs 9.5 Crore.
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru picked up Josh Hazlewood as the Aussie pacer returned to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, while Englishman Jofra Archer returned to Jaipur with Rajasthan Royals’ purchase of Rs 12.5 Crore.
There were no takers for Australian IPL-winning skipper David Warner as none of the franchises raised their paddle when the 38-year-old went under the hammer. A similar fate awaited Indian Devdutt Padikkal and Englishman Johnny Bairstow.
Waqar Salamkheil also went unsold as did Indian veteran Piyush Chawla. Other names that went without bidders on the opening day of the auction include Karthik Tyagi, Yash Dhull, Anmolpreet Singh, Utkarsh Singh, Luvnith Sisodia, Upendra Singh Yadav and Shreyas Gopal.
