Rishabh Pant made history in the IPL auction by becoming the most expensive player ever, fetching a staggering INR 27 crore as he was acquired by Lucknow Super Giants for the 2025 season. The auction, held at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah, saw a bidding war between Lucknow, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Sunrisers Hyderabad before Pant was eventually secured by Lucknow.
Shreyas Iyer also made headlines by being acquired by Punjab Kings for INR 26.75 crore, surpassing Mitchell Starc’s previous record. The bidding war for Iyer involved Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals, with Punjab Kings emerging as the victorious bidder.
In another interesting development, Punjab Kings exercised their Right-To-Match card to retain Arshdeep Singh, who was initially presented at the auction. The bidding war for Singh involved several teams, with Punjab Kings ultimately retaining him for INR 18 crore.
However, Punjab Kings opted not to use their RTM card for Kagiso Rabada, who was acquired by Gujarat Titans for INR 10.75 crore. Gujarat Titans also secured England’s white-ball captain for INR 15.75 crore, while Mitchell Starc was picked up by Delhi Capitals for INR 11.75 crore.
Overall, the IPL auction for the 2025 season saw some record-breaking deals and intense bidding wars, with Lucknow Super Giants and Punjab Kings emerging as the big winners. Fans are eagerly anticipating the upcoming season to see how these high-priced acquisitions will perform on the field.
