IPL 2025 mega auction: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer bag record bids; full list of players SOLD, UNSOLD on Day 1

In a record-breaking IPL 2025 mega auction on Sunday, Rishabh Pant emerged as the most expensive player in the tournament’s history, fetching a whopping Rs 27 crore from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Pant narrowly edged out Shreyas Iyer, who was bought by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs 26.75 crore, as franchises went all out for marquee Indian stars.

Pant's record price capped a stunning comeback story following a life-threatening car accident in 2022. The wicketkeeper-batter, a Delhi Capitals (DC) stalwart, entered the auction after parting ways with his long-time team. DC used their Right to Match (RTM) card to re-sign him for Rs 20.75 crore but were outbid by LSG’s Rs 27 crore offer. Pant is set to lead LSG in IPL 2025, marking a new chapter in his career.

Shreyas Iyer and PBKS aim for glory

Shreyas Iyer, who led Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to their third IPL title earlier this year, also set the auction floor alight. PBKS splurged Rs 26.75 crore to secure the Indian batter, with head coach Ricky Ponting expressing delight at reuniting with Iyer, a former Delhi Capitals player.

"I haven't spoken to Shreyas Iyer yet on captaincy. I called him before the auction, but he didn't pick up. He's been a successful IPL captain, I'm delighted to work with him again," said Ponting.

Venkatesh Iyer sparks bidding frenzy

In another big move, KKR retained all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 23.75 crore using their RTM card. Known for his explosive batting and handy bowling, Venkatesh became the subject of an intense bidding war between KKR and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

With an increased purse of Rs 120 crore per franchise, the auction saw teams break the bank for top talents. Punjab Kings, armed with the largest budget of Rs 110.5 crore, made the most of their resources by also acquiring Yuzvendra Chahal (Rs 18 crore), Arshdeep Singh (Rs 18 crore), and Marcus Stoinis (Rs 11 crore).

Other notable purchases included:

• KL Rahul, snapped up by Delhi Capitals for Rs 14 crore, a bargain for the former LSG captain.
• Kagiso Rabada (Rs 10.75 crore) joining Gujarat Titans after being released by PBKS.
• Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs 9.75 crore) returning to Chennai Super Kings, rekindling his partnership with MS Dhoni.

Meanwhile, David Warner and Devdutt Padikkal went unsold on Day 1, raising eyebrows. Both are expected to re-enter the fray during the accelerated auction on Monday.

Starc's price dips; pacers in demand

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, once IPL's most expensive player, saw his price fall to Rs 11.75 crore, going to Delhi Capitals. Fast bowlers continued to command premium prices, with Josh Hazlewood (Rs 12.5 crore, RCB), Trent Boult (Rs 12.5 crore, MI), and Avesh Khan (Rs 9.75 crore, LSG) among the big earners.

The auction saw franchises adopting contrasting strategies. While Rajasthan Royals, with a limited purse, focused on selective buys like Jofra Archer (Rs 12.5 crore), others splurged to build formidable squads.

The IPL 2025 season is set to kick off on March 14, with several teams betting big on fresh leadership and star power. Fans eagerly await the fireworks as the league ushers in a new era of high-stakes competition.

Full list of players sold on Day 1 of IPL 2025 mega auction

Player Name	Auction price	IPL team
Rishabh Pant	Rs 27 crore	Lucknow Super Giants
Shreyas Iyer	Rs 26.75 crore	Punjab Kings
Venkatesh Iyer	Rs 23.75 crore	Kolkata Knight Riders
Arshdeep Singh	Rs 18 crore	Punjab Kings
Kagiso Rabada	Rs 10.75 crore	Gujarat Titans
Jos Buttler	Rs 15.75 crore	Gujarat Titans
Mitchell Starc	Rs 11.75 crore	Delhi Capitals
Mohammed Shami	Rs 10 crore	Sunrisers Hyderabad
David Miller	Rs 7.5 crore	Lucknow Super Giants
Yuzvendra Chahal	Rs 18 crore	Punjab Kings
Mohammed Siraj	Rs 12.25 crore	Gujarat Titans
Liam Livingstone	Rs 8.75 crore	Royal Challengers Bengaluru
KL Rahul	Rs 14 crore	Delhi Capitals
Harry Brook	Rs 6.25 crore	Delhi Capitals
Aiden Markram	Rs 2 crore	Lucknow Super Giants
Devon Conway	Rs 6.25 crore	Chennai Super Kings
Rahul Tripathi	Rs 3.40 crore	Chennai Super Kings
Jake Fraser-McGurk	Rs 9 crore	Delhi Capitals
Harshal Patel	Rs 8 crore	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Rachin Ravindra	Rs 4 crore	Chennai Super Kings
R Ashwin	Rs 9.75 crore	Chennai Super Kings
Marcus Stoinis	Rs 11 crore	Punjab Kings
Mitchell Marsh	Rs 3.40 crore	Lucknow Super Giants
Glenn Maxwell	Rs 4.20 crore	Punjab Kings
Quinton de Kock	Rs 3.60 crore	Kolkata Knight Riders
Phil Salt	Rs 11.50 crore	Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Ramanullah Gurbaz	Rs 2 crore	Kolkata Knight Riders
Ishan Kishan	Rs 11.25 crore	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Jitesh Sharma	Rs 11 crore	Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Josh Hazlewood	Rs 12.50 crore	Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Prasidh Krishna	Rs 9.50 crore	Gujarat Titans
Avesh Khan	Rs 9.75 crore	Lucknow Super Giants
Anrich Nortje	Rs 6.5 crore	Kolkata Knight Riders
Jofra Archer	Rs 12.5 crore	Rajasthan Royals
T Natarajan	Rs 10.75 crore	Delhi Capitals
Trent Boult	Rs 12.5 crore	Mumbai Indians
Maheesh Theekshana	Rs 4.4 crore	Rajasthan Royals
Rahul Chahar	Rs 3.2 crore	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Adam Zampa	Rs 2.4 crore	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Khaleel Ahmed	Rs 4.80 crore	Chennai Super Kings
Wanindu Hasaranga	Rs 5.25 crore	Rajasthan Royals
Noor Ahmad	Rs 10 crore	Chennai Super Kings
Atharva Taide (UC)	Rs 30 Lakh	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Nehal Wadhera (UC)	Rs 4.2 crore	Punjab Kings
Angrish Raghuvanshi	Rs 3 crore	Kolkata Knight Riders
Karun Nair	Rs 50 lakh	Delhi Capitals
Abhinav Manohar	Rs 3.2 crore	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sameer Rizvi	Rs 95 lakh	Delhi Capitals
Nishant Sandhu	Rs 30 Lakh	Gujarat Titans
Harpreet Brar	Rs 1.5 crore	Punjab Kings
Abdul Samad	Rs 4.2 crore	Lucknow Super Giants
Naman Dhir	Rs 5.25 crore	Mumbai Indians
Vijay Shankar	Rs 1.2 crore	Chennai Super Kings
Mahipal Lomror	Rs 1.7 crore	Gujarat Titans
Ashutosh Sharma	Rs 3.8 crore	Delhi Capitals
Kumar Kushagra	Rs 65 lakh	Gujarat Titans
Robin Minz	Rs 65 lakh	Mumbai Indians
Anuj Rawat	Rs 30 Lakh	Gujarat Titans
Vishnu Vinod	Rs 95 lakh	Punjab Kings
Rasikh Dhar	Rs 6 crore	Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Akash Madhwal	Rs 1.2 crore	Rajasthan Royals
Mohit Sharma	Rs 2.2 crore	Delhi Capitals
Vyshak Vijay Kumar	Rs 1.8 crore	Punjab Kings
Vaibhav Arora	Rs 1.8 crore	Kolkata Knight Riders
Yash Thakur	Rs 1.6 crore	Punjab Kings
Simarjeet Singh	Rs 1.5 crore	Sunrisers Hyderabad
Suyush Sharma	Rs 2.6 crore	Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Karn Sharma	Rs 50 lakh	Mumbai Indians
Mayank Markande	Rs 30 Lakh	Kolkata Knight Rider
Kumar Kartikeya Singh	Rs 30 Lakh	Rajasthan Royals
Manav Suthar	Rs 30 lakh	Gujarat Titans

 

Full list of players unsold on Day 1 of IPL 2025 mega auction

Sr. No.	Player	Base Price	Capped/UncappedCappedUncapped
1	Devdutt Padikkal	Rs 2,00,00,000	Capped
2	David Warner	Rs 2,00,00,000	Capped
3	Jonny Bairstow	Rs 2,00,00,000	Capped
4	Waqar Salamkheil	Rs 75,00,000	Capped
5	Piyush Chawla	Rs 50,00,000	Uncapped
6	Kartik Tyagi	Rs 40,00,000	Uncapped
7	Yash Dhull	Rs 30,00,000	Uncapped
8	Anmolpreet Singh	Rs 30,00,000	Uncapped
9	Utkarsh Singh	Rs 30,00,000	Uncapped
10	Luvnith Sisodia	Rs 30,00,000	Uncapped
11	Upendra Singh Yadav	Rs 30,00,000	Uncapped
12	Shreyas Gopal	Rs 30,00,000	Uncapped

 

Remaining purse of all 10 teams at the start of IPL 2025 mega auction Day 2

IPL teams	Remaining purse	Total players	Overseas players
Chennai Super Kings	Rs 15.60 CR	12	4
Delhi Capitals	Rs 13.80 CR	13	4
Gujarat Titans	Rs 17.50 CR	14	3
Kolkata Knight Riders	Rs 10.05 CR	13	5
Lucknow Super Giants	Rs 14.85 CR	12	4
Mumbai Indians	Rs 26.10 CR	9	1
Punjab Kings	Rs 22.50 CR	12	2
Rajasthan Royals	Rs 17.35 CR	11	4
Royal Challengers Bengaluru	Rs 30.65 CR	9	3
Sunrisers Hyderabad	Rs 5.15 CR	13	4