The big IPL Auction takeaways: Indian stars outshine overseas peers; no room for nostalgia in performance-driven bids

The Indian Premier League's maiden foray into the lucrative Saudi Arabian market wasn't just momentous, it was also path-breaking in many ways. Lucknow Super Giants have assembled a very refreshing team at the IPL 2025 mega auction(IPLT20)

For two days, ten franchises went hammer and tongs in Jeddah in the mega auction ahead of IPL 2025, seeking to assemble squads that will give them the best chance of success over the next three years. There was a pronounced shift in the perception towards overseas players; established Indian cricketers with leadership credentials were much in demand, understandably so with several captains of the previous season in the fray including Shreyas Iyer, who took Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title earlier this year.

Even Iyer, though, must have known that Rishabh Pant would attract the most eyeballs. The ebullient wicketkeeper-batter’s return to competitive cricket after a life-threatening road accident in December 2022 has been an unqualified success. His leaderships skills are well established and it’s only a matter of time before he assumes the captaincy of the national team too. Several teams licked their lips in anticipation of securing the 26-year-old’s services. Lucknow Super Giants finally snapped him up for ₹27 crore, making him the most expensive buy in the history of the auction.

A tweak in regulations that allowed the Right to Match card to be overridden by a higher bid was the clincher for Sanjeev Goenka and LSG, who had let go of KL Rahul after IPL 2024. Delhi Capitals, with whom Pant made his comeback to the sport after 15 months on the sidelines, used the RTM card when LSG secured Pant for ₹20.75 crore, but the latter upped the ante to a whopping ₹27 crore and walked away with all the applause. Pant will not feel the weight of his price tag; he has endured far greater pressure in life and will approach his status as the most expensive player in IPL with the same equanimity he has shown on the park, one of several endearing traits that had made him so attractive to so many franchises.

Iyer will look to further his captaincy legacy at Punjab Kings, who made numerous big-ticket purchases, clearly influenced by new head coach Ricky Ponting’s philosophy. One of three original franchises, alongside Delhi and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, to not have won the title, Punjab dished out ₹26.75 crore for the Mumbaikar, and welcomed back prodigal sons Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell, the two Australian all-rounders. Maxwell had a troubled time with the franchise, and its mentor Virender Sehwag specifically, in 2017 when he was the team’s captain.

The five highest-paid players at the auction were all Indians, in a welcome break from norm because, after all, this is the Indian Premier League. But what is an IPL auction without a humongous, almost inexplicable, surprise? KKR’s decision to buy back all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for a jaw-dropping ₹23.75 crore made eyes pop and jaws touch the ground. Iyer was indisputably a huge influence in KKR’s march to the crown last season, but opinion was sharply divided on the wisdom of the holders doling out so much money to reacquire his services. Whether it is money well spent is something that will only be known in six months’ time.

Big names not so big anymore?

Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal, the two bowlers who ply vastly differing wares and are at opposite ends of their career spectrums, attracted winning bids of ₹18 crore each, a shot in the arm for Indian bowling, rounding off the list of the five most costly buys. The highest-paid overseas cricketer is England white-ball captain Jos Buttler, who went to Shubman Gill and Ashish Nehra’s Gujarat Titans at ₹15.75 crore, while Delhi might feel Rahul at ₹14 crore is a steal, considering he is also expected to lead the franchise’s fortunes.

Mitchell Starc, the biggest money-spinner of IPL 2024 (KKR, ₹24.75 crore), went to Delhi for a little less than half the amount, no great surprise that. It also didn’t stagger anyone that neither David Warner nor Kane Williamson attracted any attention, or that the undisciplined Prithvi Shaw, his fellow Mumbai batter Sarfaraz Khan and Mayank Agarwal went unsold. What did raise numerous eyebrows was the studied ignorance of all-rounder Shardul Thakur and Englishman Jonny Bairstow.

There was a sentimental touch to R Ashwin’s return to Chennai Super Kings. One isn’t sure how many miles remain in the overworked Ashwin legs. It was with CSK that the off-spinner first came into prominence, and there will be a sense of déjà vu in various quarters if that’s where he signs off as a professional cricketer.

Oh, and how is this for feelgood? A 13-year-old going for ₹1.10 crore. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has already played for India Under-19 after being spotted and fast-tracked by junior national selection committee chairman VS Thilak Naidu, and for Bihar in the Ranji Trophy. To have then caught the attention of former India captain and coach Rahul Dravid, the Rajasthan Royals coach, is a massive win for the teenager, now in the wonderful position of thriving under one of the best man-managers of all time in the cricketing world.

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