IPL 2025 Mega Auction: Indian Superstars Hit the Market, MI Retains Core
As the IPL gears up for its mega auction on November 24-25, three Indian superstars have become available for bidding after not being retained by their previous franchises. Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul will join the auction pool, adding intrigue to the proceedings.
Pant, who spent nine years with the Delhi Capitals, and Iyer, the title-winning captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders, are both highly sought-after leaders. Multiple teams, including DC, Punjab Kings, RCB, and LSG, are reportedly interested in Iyer’s services.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Indians have retained their core Indian players, including captain Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, and Rohit Sharma. Pandya will continue to lead the team despite their disappointing performance in 2024.
The Delhi Capitals have retained Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and South African batter Tristan Stubbs. If they fail to acquire Iyer in the auction, Axar may be considered for the captaincy role.
The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have retained Nicholas Pooran as their top pick, while the Chennai Super Kings have retained MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, and Shivam Dube.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have broken the bank to retain Heinrich Klaasen for a whopping Rs 23 crore. They have also retained captain Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Nitish Reddy.
The Rajasthan Royals have opted not to retain Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Ravichandran Ashwin. They have instead retained Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Shimron Hetmyer.
The Gujarat Titans have retained Rashid Khan as their premium player, while Shubman Gill has taken a pay cut to stay with the team.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore have retained Virat Kohli for Rs 21 crore but have released Faf du Plessis and Mohammed Siraj.
The Punjab Kings have let go of Arshdeep Singh and will enter the auction with a substantial purse of Rs 110.5 crore.
