IPL 2025 mega auction: Why it's shaping up to be the biggest in a decade

Over 1,500 players have signed up for the upcoming mega auction set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25. This staggering number highlights the immense global appeal of the league. However, what is truly captivating this year goes beyond the sheer numbers.

In the past few years, the IPL has become one of the biggest sporting leagues across sports, as evidenced by the increase in the salary cap from INR 21.75 crore (USD conversation rate of 2008) in IPL 2008 to ₹120 crore this year. Even the team with the minimum salary cap in the IPL 2025 auction – Rajasthan Royals ( ₹41 crore) is almost double the inaugural season's salary cap, and they already have six crucial players, which clearly depicts the tournament's success.

Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul and Shreyas Iyer – the captains of last year's IPL are without a team and will enter the mega auction likely to make history. Pant parted ways with Delhi Capitals after a nine-year-stay, while Rahul had a rough exit from Lucknow Super Giants. As for Iyer, despite leading KKR to an IPL trophy, he couldn't secure a retention spot and is now exploring options at the auction.

When did we last see such big Indian stars going under the hammer? Only a couple of auctions can top this year's – one being the first-ever where they all began, and another from 2011 when the likes of Gautam Gambhir, Yuvraj Singh, Rohit Sharma, and AB de Villiers featured in the ceremony. However, the purse during the 2011 mega auction was USD 9 million ( ₹76 crore approximately), which has increased exponentially over the years.

In the past decade, there hasn't been this much buzz around established Indian players in the auction. Traditionally, the spotlight has been on rising stars or overseas cricketers, but this time, the focus has shifted - and it's big.

The upcoming season of IPL has already started breaking records through its retention announcements, where Heinrich Klaasen became the most expensive retention in tournament history with a lucrative INR 23 crore contract with SRH. Virat Kohli and Nicholas Pooran are the other two who breached the INR 20 crore mark by securing INR 21 crore deals with RCB and LSG, respectively.

However, the new rules and regulations promise to make the 2025 auction the most thrilling bidding extravaganza ever. Four franchises have a purse of over ₹65 crore, hence, expect some intense bidding wars in Jeddah. Incidentally, the teams with the biggest purse left are those that have not won an IPL trophy: Punjab Kings ( ₹110.5 crore), Royal Challengers Bengaluru ( ₹83 crore), and Delhi Capitals ( ₹73 crore).

Pant is one player on the wishlist of every franchise that can afford a player with ₹20 crore plus, as he offers a triple package in batting keeping and captaincy – a rarity. There is a high chance he'll break Mitchell Starc's record as the most expensive player in tournament history of INR 24.75 crore. Rahul too, can break the bank by offering the same utilities.

Iyer's case is undoubtedly the most intriguing. How often do you see a player lead a team to an IPL trophy only to be released? According to CEO Venky Mysore, Shreyas and KKR weren't aligned in their vision, and the franchise made its priorities clear in the retention list. Now, the 29-year-old could be a hot prospect for franchises in search of a captain - especially those who have yet to win the title.

Meanwhile, other Indian stars like Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Shami, and Mohammad Siraj will also be catching the attention of several teams.

The overseas buzz

The overseas stars will once again add the extra tadka in the IPL every year, as a total of 409 players have registered their names for that auction. The cricket heavyweights - South Africa (91), Australia (76) and England (52) are going to be big attractions in the mega-franchise league. With players like Jos Buttler, Mitchell Starc, Kagiso Rabada, Phil Salt and David Miller - the overseas stars could very well overshadow the local boys in the auction. English pace great James Anderson has also put his name up for the auction for the first time and set his base price at INR 1.25 crore.