IPL 2025: 3 Players who attracted most bids at the auction

The IPL 2024 mega auction in Jeddah was a historic two-day event, with intense bidding wars and record-breaking purchases. Teams spent a total of INR 639.15 crore, with Punjab Kings leading the spree at INR 110.15 crore.

Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in IPL history after Lucknow Super Giants secured him for INR 27 crore. This came shortly after Punjab made headlines with an INR 26.75 crore bid for Shreyas Iyer, breaking Mitchell Starc’s previous record of INR 24.75 crore. PBKS continued their aggressive strategy, acquiring Yuzvendra Chahal for INR 18 crore, making him the most expensive spinner ever.

Teams raised the paddle aggressively, with Punjab bidding for 47 players, the most by any franchise. They walked away with 23 players, rebuilding their squad from scratch after retaining just two. Despite their heavy activity, PBKS lost out on 19 players, the highest of any team. Meanwhile, Kolkata Knight Riders were the least active, bidding for only 25 players and losing just five in bidding wars.

Mumbai Indians, with the smallest purse of INR 45 crore, made calculated moves, having already retained stars like Suryakumar Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, and Rohit Sharma. In contrast, Rajasthan Royals secured 10 players at base price, the highest percentage among all franchises.

Here are the three players on whom most teams placed bids in the IPL 2025 mega-auction:

3. Rishabh Pant (INR 27 crore, Lucknow Super Giants): 4 Teams

Star Indian wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant made history at the auction table, becoming the most expensive player ever sold, fetching a huge INR 27 crore. Pant had the third-highest number of bidders, with four teams competing for him. The 27-year-old was snatched up by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), surpassing Shreyas Iyer’s previous record.

The bidding war saw both Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) eyeing for his services. After LSG raised the bid to INR 20.75 crore, Delhi Capitals (DC) exercised their Right to Match (RTM) option, briefly bringing the battle back to life. But LSG’s final push took the bid to the record-breaking INR 27 crore, and DC opted out.