On the first day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Rishab Pant was sold to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 27 crore (USD 3.21 million approx.) He overtook the previous mark set by Punjab Kings (PBKS), who had bid INR 26.75 crore (USD 3.18 million approx.) for the last title-winning captain Shyreas Iyer a few moments earlier.
Both franchises (LSG and PBKS) sought a captain for the 2025 season, and Pant, Iyer may fill the gaps for them. Both Indian players surpassed the previous record of INR 24.75 crore that Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had made for Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc in the IPL auction 2024.
LSG and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) initiated the bidding for Pant with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) joining when RCB dropped out. Both the franchises drove the bid to 20.75 crore where SRH dropped out and Pant was sold to LSG. The auctioneer then inquired whether Delhi Capitals intended to exercise their Right to Match (RTM) card. According to the new RTM rules at this auction, the team that won the bidding was given another opportunity to raise their bid, which LSG raised their bid to from INR 20.75 crore to INR 27 crore, DC stated that they chose not to match the bid. This meant that Pant was acquired by LSG for a record-breaking price.
Shreyas was the third player presented for auction from the initial group of marquee players, with KKR initiating the bidding to reacquire their title-winning captain. However, they withdrew from the contest at INR 10 crore, leaving DC and PBKS to vie for Shreyas, as both franchises were in search of captains. PBKS, equipped with the largest budget of INR 110.5 crore, ultimately secured him with a winning bid of INR 26.75 crore.
“No matter how much you plan, things don’t always work out like that,” Shashwat Goenka”This [getting Pant for 27 crore] was very well to our plan. It wasn’t really a magic number, we just wanted a number so that the RTM doesn’t get exercised.” the LSG owner said.
Ricky Pointing the new head coach of PBKS said he is excited to work with Iyer, “He’s been a successful captain in IPL before, I worked with him for 3-4 years in Delhi and he was the championship winner last season. I’m delighted to work with him again, if he can do that for us in the IPL I’ll be pretty happy.”
Venkatesh Iyer acquired for INR 23.75 crore
Arguably the most unexpected development on day one was the intense competition between KKR and RCB for all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer. Ultimately, he was secured by his former team, KKR, for an extraordinary sum of INR 23.75 crore (approximately $2.83 million). This purchase made Iyer the most expensive player in KKR’s roster so far, surpassing Rinku Singh, who was retained for INR 13 crore, and Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, and Varun Chakravarthy, each retained for INR 12 crore. Notably, Iyer was KKR’s first purchase of the auction.
Buttler, Starc, and Rabada secure new homes
After competition from PBKS and LSG, Gujrat Titans finally secured England’s powerhouse Jos Buttler for 15.75 crore (US$ 1.88 million) to join Shubman Gill at the top. “Very happy to have Jos Buttler in our side. He can bat anywhere, he can keep as well, he can help Shubman also,”.We wanted to buy our No. 1 bowler and No. 1 batter from the marquee set and we have both.”
Gujrat Titans picked pacers Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj for INR 10.75 crore ($1.28 million approx.) and INR 12.25 crore ($1.46 million approx.). KKR, MI, and RCB showed interest in buying Australian pacer Mitchell Starc who was the most expensive player in IPL history till Pant surpassed him on the first day of the mega auction for IPL 2025. Eventually, DC bought Starc for INR 11.75 crore ($1.40 million approx.)
“Pretty elated with the buys. Both KL and Starc are world-class players. Starc is a match-winner, he’s a wicket-taker, and [we] couldn’t be happier. And with KL Rahul, again, somebody who we believe is a bankable player will give you runs each season. For me, at the moment, this is the best buy of the auction. But having said this, there’s work to do.”DC head coach Hemang Badani said.
However, some of the most prolific batsmen of the IPL David Warner and Jonny Bairstow remain unsold on the first day of the auction.
Jasir Basharat is a cricket enthusiast capturing the heart of the game through insightful analysis and storytelling sharing his passion for the sport through engaging narratives. He is a business graduate from University of Kashmir.
