IPL 2025 Auction: 574 Players all set to go under the hammer in Jeddah

The much-awaited IPL 2025 mega auction is all set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25. The IPL governing council confirmed on Friday that proceedings will begin at 3 PM IST on both days.

A total of 574 players are set to go under the hammer during the two-day auction. Out of these, 66 are Indian players, while 208 are overseas cricketers. Additionally, three players from Associate Nations have also been shortlisted by the 10 IPL franchises. The auction will also include 318 uncapped Indian players and 12 uncapped overseas players. There are 204 slots available for the upcoming season, including 70 for overseas players, according to an official IPL statement.

Highest Base Price of INR 2 Crore

The highest base price in the auction is INR 2 crore, with 81 players opting for this bracket. Meanwhile, 27 players have listed their base price as INR 1.5 crore, 18 players at INR 1.25 crore, and 23 players at INR 1 crore. The remaining 425 players have a base price below INR 1 crore.

Mallika Sagar to Conduct Auction

Mallika Sagar will conduct the mega auction in Jeddah. She had previously served as the auctioneer for the Women’s Premier League auction and also replaced Hugh Edmeades as the auctioneer in IPL 2024. A BCCI official confirmed her involvement, saying, “Yes, Mallika Sagar will conduct the auction this time.”

Marquee Players in the Spotlight

The auction will kick off with Marquee Set 1, featuring big names such as Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Mitchell Starc. Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Jos Buttler are also part of this elite set.

Marquee Set 2 will include stars like Yuzvendra Chahal, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, David Miller, Liam Livingstone, and Mohammed Shami.

Other Notable Names in the Auction

Ajinkya Rahane is in the auction list, but Cheteshwar Pujara is not. In a surprising move, Unmukt Chand has made it to the auction list, while USA’s Saurabh Netravalkar has not. England pacer Jofra Archer is also part of the shortlisted players despite injury concerns in the past. Meanwhile, England’s legendary fast bowler James Anderson, who recently retired, is among the players shortlisted, but Australia’s Cameron Green has chosen not to participate.

Youngest Player in the Auction

One of the standout story of this year’s auction is 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi from Bihar, who is the youngest among the 574 players shortlisted.

Here’s a quick look at some of the key sets in the auction:

                •             Marquee Set 1: Jos Buttler, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Mitchell Starc.

                •             Marquee Set 2: Yuzvendra Chahal, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj.

                •             All-rounders Set 1: Ravichandran Ashwin, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Marsh, Harshal Patel, Venkatesh Iyer.

                •             Batters Set 1: Harry Brook, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Jake Fraser-McGurk, David Warner, Aiden Markram.

                •             Wicketkeeper-batters Set 1: Quinton de Kock, Jonny Bairstow, Ishan Kishan, Phil Salt, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Jitesh Sharma.

                •             Fast bowlers Set 1: Khaleel Ahmed, Trent Boult, Anrich Nortje, Josh Hazlewood, Avesh Khan, T Natarajan, Prasidh Krishna.

                •             Spinners Set 1: Wanindu Hasaranga, Adam Zampa, Maheesh Theekshana, Noor Ahmad, Rahul Chahar, Waqar Salamkheil.

With so much talent in the pool and plenty of excitement surrounding the auction, the stage is set for another thrilling IPL season in 2025.