IPL 2025: Pant, Iyer Among The Most Expensive Players at the IPL Auction
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
Rishabh Pant - Lucknow Super Giants
The 2025 Indian Premier League mega-auction is held once every three years, and for this edition, all 10 teams arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to battle it out for the players they want in their squads for the upcoming tournament.
At the event, a total of 577 players were up for auction - 367 from India and 210 internationals - with each having a base price of ₹30 lakh up to a maximum of ₹2 crore. As it turned out, the highest bid came from the Lucknow Super Giants, who acquired the services of Rishabh Pant.
The wicket-keeper batsman was released by the Delhi Capitals ahead of the auction, and LSG splashed out a whopping ₹27 Crore to bring him to Lucknow, making him the most expensive player in the history of the IPL.
Keep an eye out for SportyTrader's cricket predictions ahead of the 2025 IPL opener on March 22.
Shreyas Iyer - Punjab Kings
In an unexpected move, the Kolkata Knight Riders released India international Shreyas Iyer from the franchise ahead of the IPL auction, and as most would have expected, there was no shortage of suitors lining up for the ICC Champions Trophy winner.
Of the 577 players made available, the bidding war for Iyer was the most intense, with three teams - Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals - all battling for his signature, making a total of 103 bids before a decision was made.
In the end, it was the Kings that got the job done, forking over ₹26.75 crore to purchase the 30-year-old. The total bid made Iyer the second-highest-paid player in IPL history behind Pant, and he has also been given the captaincy for the upcoming tournament.
Venkatesh Iyer - Kolkata Knight Riders
The IPL defending champions left their fans in disbelief with their decision to release Shreyas Iyer, but there was even more head-scratching after they opted instead to invest a staggering ₹23.75 crore to resign Venkatesh Iyer.
KKR were largely forced into the hefty price tag due to the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s interest in him, but the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side defended their decision to shell out the eye-watering sum by stating that the all-rounder from Madhya Pradesh was a key member in their title run last year.
Still, there is no denying his ability. Since debuting in the IPL back in 2021, Venkatesh has consistently shown his big-match temperament and has a century and 11 half-centuries to his name while boasting an average of 41.11 and a strike rate of 135.
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Arshdeep Singh - Punjab Kings
The fourth-highest bid at the 2025 IPL auction was on a player that many fans and pundits expected to go for big money following his impressive performances over the last couple of years for both his club and country - Arshdeep Singh.
Singh has played exclusively for the Punjab Kings since debuting in the IPL, and the franchise was able to retain his services again this season by exercising their Right to Match (RTM) card, matching the Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bid of ₹18.00 for the paceman.
The 25-year-old left-arm pacer took 17 wickets in 2023, which was the highest for the franchise in that year, and carried that form into the 2024 edition, claiming 19 scalps in the tournament, missing out on the coveted Purple Cap by just two wickets.
Yuzvendra Chahal - Punjab Kings
The Kings were the out-and-out biggest spenders at the 2025 IPL auction and were the only team to cough out over ₹100.00 crore, ending with a total spend of ₹110.15 crore. Three of the highest-paid players went to the team from Punjab, and the third in that list was Yuzvendra Chahal.
The staggering ₹18.00 crore spent on Chahal saw him become the most expensive spin bowler at an IPL auction, surpassing the ₹10.75 that the Royal Challengers parted with for Wanindu Hasaranga (who was listed as an all-rounder) back in the 2022 edition of the competition.
Chahal won the Purple Cap in 2022 with the Rajasthan Royals, for whom he went on to claim 66 wickets in 46 games. With an all-time record of 205 wickets in 160 IPL matches, he is also the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.
Don't forget to check out our Indian Premier League Predictions throughout the IPL 2025 season.
