Photo Credit: IPL T20
The IPL 2025 mega auction is scheduled for November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This marks the second consecutive year the auction will be held overseas, following last year’s event in Dubai. The auction will coincide with the third and fourth days of the first Test between India and Australia in Perth.
Unlike regular auctions, the mega auction occurs every three years and spans two days. It is a highly anticipated event as the 10 IPL franchises assemble their squads for the 2025-27 seasons.
A total of 1,574 players (1,165 Indian and 409 overseas) registered for the auction by the November 4 deadline, according to the BCCI. These players represent countries such as Italy, Canada, the Netherlands, Scotland, the USA, UAE, and other Full Member nations, excluding Pakistan. Each franchise can have a squad of up to 25 players, meaning 204 slots are available following retention.
By the October 31 deadline for finalizing player retention, 46 players were retained across all franchises. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s wicketkeeper-batter Heinrich Klaasen was the most expensive retention at INR 23 crore.
Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants) were retained for INR 21 crore each. Mumbai Indians notably retained all their star Indian players, including Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, and Tilak Varma, for a total of INR 75 crore.
Each team has a purse of INR 120 crore to build their squad, but following retention, Punjab Kings have the highest remaining purse at INR 110.5 crore, having retained only two uncapped players. Rajasthan Royals, with the smallest purse of INR 41 crore, retained the maximum six players, along with Kolkata Knight Riders, who will have INR 51 crore to spend at the auction.
For the first time, IPL teams can retain up to six players, with a maximum of five capped and two uncapped players. These players can be retained outright before the auction or bought back through the Right-to-Match (RTM) option during bidding.
If a player is bought by another franchise, the previous franchise can exercise the RTM option to match the highest bid. If the bidding continues, the previous franchise can match the increased bid to retain the player.
Punjab Kings, having retained only two players, have the most RTM options (four). Royal Challengers Bangalore (three players retained) and Delhi Capitals (four players retained) have three and two RTM options, respectively. Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Lucknow Super Giants, who retained five players each, have just one RTM option. Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders have no RTM options.
There is no limit on the number of players a franchise can buy back if they place the highest bid during the auction.
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Name of Author: Cricexec Staff
