IPL 2025 Mega Auction Set to Ignite Cricket World

The IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24-25, coincides with India's Test match against Australia. Franchises had until October 31 to finalize retentions, with Sunrisers Hyderabad's Heinrich Klaasen topping at INR 23 crore. Punjab Kings lead with the largest auction purse of INR 110.5 crore.

The much-anticipated mega auction for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is set to take place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This marks the second consecutive year the auction is held overseas, with Dubai hosting in 2024. The timing coincides with the third and fourth days of India's Test match against Australia in Perth, heightening excitement in the cricket calendar.

Spanning two days, this mega auction occurs every three years, drawing significant attention from cricket fans globally. During the event, the ten IPL franchises will strategically assemble their squads for the upcoming three years (2025-27), making it a pivotal moment in the sport. The deadline for finalizing player retentions was October 31, with 46 players retained across ten teams. Sunrisers Hyderabad's wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen emerged as the top retention at INR 23 crore, followed closely by Virat Kohli and Nicholas Pooran at INR 21 crore each. Mumbai Indians retained all their key Indian players--Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and Tilak Varma--totaling INR 75 crore.

Each franchise has an INR 120 crore budget for building their teams. Post-retentions, Punjab Kings have the largest budget left at INR 110.5 crore, having retained two uncapped players for INR 9.5 crore. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have the smallest purse at INR 41 crore, retaining the maximum of six players, a strategy mirrored by Kolkata Knight Riders with INR 51 crore left. Teams were allowed to retain up to six players, with a maximum of five capped and two uncapped, either directly or through the Right-to-Match (RTM) system.

The RTM option allows a franchise to match the highest bid for a player from their 2024 lineup. If another team places the highest bid at auction, the previous team can match this bid to retain the player, although the bidding can continue with the original team needing to match each increment to retain the player. Punjab Kings hold the most RTM options with four. Royal Challengers Bangalore have three RTM options, while Delhi Capitals have two. Five franchises--Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants--each have one RTM option, while Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, each retaining six players, have no RTM options.

(With inputs from agencies.)