In a surprising turn, England's star all-rounder Ben Stokes is notably absent from the list of 1,574 players vying for a spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Meanwhile, veteran pacer James Anderson, at 42 and having recently retired from Test cricket, has entered the fray with a base price of Rs 1.25 crore – marking his first appearance in the IPL auction.
Indian marquee players set at Rs 2 crore base price
All eyes will be on marquee Indian players who have set their base price at Rs 2 crore, including heavyweights like Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Yuzvendra Chahal. Joining them are speedsters Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh, both also pegged at Rs 2 crore after being released by their teams. Other Indian stars with the maximum base price include Deepak Chahar, Ishan Kishan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, indicating fierce bidding wars on the horizon. The IPL 2025 mega auction is going to be a two-day affair.
Returning and rising stars in focus
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, last year’s highest bid at Rs 24.50 crore, returns with a base price of Rs 2 crore, along with England’s Jofra Archer, who played in the 2023 edition. Nathan Lyon, Australia’s premier off-spinner, enters the auction pool at Rs 2 crore after previously going unsold. Young Indian talents Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan, both of whom were overlooked in last year’s auction, have re-entered with base prices of Rs 75 lakh, adding intrigue to the bidding strategies.
Also Read
Squad limits and purse sizes: Punjab Kings with largest purse
With each team permitted to retain up to six players, a total of 204 slots are available across franchises. Punjab Kings will enter the auction with the biggest purse of Rs 110.5 crore, giving them a strategic advantage, followed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru with Rs 83 crore and Delhi Capitals at Rs 73 crore. Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans have Rs 69 crore each, while perennial favourites Chennai Super Kings have Rs 55 crore at their disposal.
Race to build winning squads begins on November 24
Scheduled for November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, the auction promises to be an intense battle as 10 teams bid for top players with a Rs 120 crore cap each. Last year’s winners Kolkata Knight Riders will enter with Rs 51 crore, while champions Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad both have Rs 45 crore. With Rajasthan Royals rounding out the teams with Rs 41 crore, the stage is set for thrilling bidding wars that could reshape the league ahead of the next season.
IPL 2025 Mega auction: Marquee Indian and Overseas players' base price
Top players with base price ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction | |
Player Name | Base Price |
James Anderson | Rs 1.25 crore |
Rishabh Pant | Rs 2 crore |
Shreyas Iyer | Rs 2 crore |
KL Rahul | Rs 2 crore |
R Ashwin | Rs 2 crore |
Yuzvendra Chahal | Rs 2 crore |
Mohammed Shami | Rs 2 crore |
Arshdeep Singh | Rs 2 crore |
Khaleel Ahmed | Rs 2 crore |
Mukesh Kumar | Rs 2 crore |
Venkatesh Iyer | Rs 2 crore |
Avesh Khan | Rs 2 crore |
Deepak Chahar | Rs 2 crore |
Ishan Kishan | Rs 2 crore |
Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Rs 2 crore |
Shardul Thakur | Rs 2 crore |
Mohammed Siraj | Rs 2 crore |
Devdutt Padikkal | Rs 2 crore |
Krunal Pandya | Rs 2 crore |
Harshal Patel | Rs 2 crore |
Prasidh Krishna | Rs 2 crore |
T Natarajan | Rs 2 crore |
Washington Sundar | Rs 2 crore |
Umesh Yadav | Rs 2 crore |
Sarfaraz Khan | Rs 75 lakh |
Prithvi Shaw | Rs 75 lakh |
Nathan Lyon | Rs 2 crore |
Mitchell Starc | Rs 2 crore |
Jofra Archer | Rs 2 crore |