Since its inception since its inception, this Indian Premier League has been being featured in the press for its sheer fun factor. Inspiring matches, surprising twists and thrilling finals are a given for every game during the league. Teams this year were permitted to keep as many as six players. The remaining players will participate at the Mega Auction, to determine their new attire.
With the start of the beginning of the new IPL season is right ahead of us All teams participated in the auction to boost their squads. This year’s IPL 2025 auction took place at Saudi Arabia and it had many auction battles as well as unexpected twists. The auction also set a record for the highest-priced player ever, surpassing that previous mark of 2.8 M, set by Mitchell Starc. Let’s look at the most expensive purchases, the most surprising selections and the strategies utilized by the teams during the auction this year.
Biggest Buys of IPL 2025 Auction
Rishabh Pant for Lucknow Super Giants: Pant was the highest-priced cricketer during IPL auction history when LSG bought his services at an astounding 3.1 million dollars. Pant’s batting skills at the top of the order as well as his leadership abilities make him an effective player and captain for LSG.
Venkatesh Iyer to Kolkata Knight Riders: KKR have brought back their top all-rounder in exchange for 2.7 millions dollars. They are confident in his ability to play to the team with bat as well as the ball. His past performances have been crucial to the success of KKR.
Mitchell Starc to Delhi Capitals: DC made an unorthodox move in purchasing Starc at 2.5 millions dollars. DC made sure they had a world-class pacer at the helm of their offensive. His ability to be a force during a time of need makes him a crucial player.
Jos Buttler for Gujarat Titans: GT secured Warner for 1.8 million dollars to provide experience and firepower to their top-order. His brash batting style and leadership skills will be essential to their upcoming campaign.
Below is a list of the top signings for each team in the auction:
| IPL Team | Total Spent | Top Signings |
| Chennai Super Kings | $6.3 M | Noor Ahmed ($1.15M)Ravichandran Ashwin ($1.12M) |
| Mumbai Indians | $5.1 M | Trent Boult ($1.4M)Deepak Chahar ($1M) |
| Rajasthan Royals | $5.3 M | Jofra Archer ($1.4M)Tushar Deshpande ($0.7M) |
| Gujarat Titans | $6.5 M | Jos Buttler ($1.8M)Mohammed Siraj ($1.4M)Kagiso Rabada ($1.2M) |
| Punjab Kings | $12.6 M | Shreyas Iyer ($3.08M)Arshdeep Singh ($2M, retained using RTM)Yuzvendra Chahal ($2M) |
| Lucknow Super Giants | $7.9 M | Rishabh Pant ($3.1M)Avesh Khan ($1.1M)David Miller ($0.8M) |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | $9.4 M | Josh Hazlewood ($1.4M)Phil Salt ($1.3M) |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | $7.1 M | Ishan Kishan ($1.3M)Mohammed Shami ($1.15M)Harshal Patel ($0.9M) |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | $5.8 M | Venkatesh Iyer ($2.7M)Anrich Nortje ($0.7M)Quinton de Kock ($0.4M) |
| Delhi Capitals | $8.3 M | KL Rahul ($1.6M)Mitchell Starc ($2.5M)T. Natarajan (1.2M) |
Surprising Picks of IPL 2025
Vaibhav Suryavanshi to Rajasthan Royals: For the first time in IPL history 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the smallest cricketer ever to be selected for the IPL auction. RR watched his performances during the Ranji Trophy in Bihar and put 115,00 dollars in his future.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Royal Challengers Bengaluru: RCB signed their former bowler, Bhuvneshwar Kumar to a price of 1.2 million dollars. The bidding war was fierce and MI and LSG being among those who expressed interest.
Anshul Kamboj to Chennai Super Kings: Chennai Super Kings kept up their tradition of scouting talent by purchasing Anshul Kamboj in the amount of 391,000 USD. He is known for his consistently good performances on the cricket field the all-rounder has been awestruck with his capacity to excel under stress.
Harshal Patel to Sunrisers Hyderabad: The young bowler was a surprise selection for SRH and many were expecting that he would not be sold. SRH invested 923,000 dollars in him due to his performances in India.
Avesh Khan to Lucknow Super Giants: LSG’s decision to invest in Avesh Khan sparked a few eyebrows because of his erratic performance over the past few years. However, his expertise and ability to alter batsmen’s lineups could prove beneficial. LSG has paid $1.1M dollars for his services.
Team Strategies IPL 2025
The focus is on balance within the squad – RCB has tried to improve their bowling, and add greater depth and variety to their batting team. Phil Salt and Jitesh Sharma were added to the top order, while Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar will provide an attacking pace.
A different option is that PBKS would prefer an aggressive approach, usually signing a number of key individuals to help make their team more able. To ensure both youth and experience were matched effectively, Shreyas, Arshdeep and Chahal were sought after.
SRH was looking for more experience; the need for greater power was a requirement for batting and bowling. Shami and Harshal are fast bowlers that make the team more powerful and Ishan Kishan is a steady force at that top spot in the line-up.
Concentrate on Batting Order Focus on Batting Order: LSG has made a major investment with Rishabh Pant. They also have brought in David Miller, indicating their strategy to create a team with a solid lineup of batting. They’ve focused on creating an explosive group of batters as well as solid finishers.
Champions of the past, KKR are also focusing on getting back players they have lost and including batters in their team. With the help of de Kock, they increase their wicket-keeping options as well as adding power in the middle of the list.
GT was determined to build an impressive batting team and acquiring an experienced leader through Buttler. Their approach was centered on those players who are adept at winning games.
The focus is on bowling Unit: Five-time champions CSK have are focusing on improving their bowling team through the acquisition of Ashwin along with Noor Ahmed. They’ve opted for a spin-based attack, while also adding Convoy for stability and experience.
DC focused on marquee players in order to build their team by bringing in proven match-winners. Combining KL Rahul’s steady and consistent batting the combination of Natarajan and Starc’s speed attack gives a solid balance.
Other Strategies: MI employed a budget-friendly approach, focusing on buying smarter items within their budget. Boult’s addition will ensure they keep an explosive pace attack and keeps the core team in good shape.
RR however, has committed to developing youngsters and strengthened their bowling team with the addition of Jofra Archer. the RR’s strategy is centered around creating future stars and maintaining a an equilibrium of competition.
Final Thoughts
The IPL 2025 season is already shaping up to be an exciting one for the fans across the globe. This year’s Mega Auction had everything – records-breaking deals, strategic decisions, and of course lots of surprise.
While teams such as PBKS and RCB chose to sign big-name players, others like MI and RR concentrated on budget-friendly but effective signings. The players that are kept are a major part of the formation of the team and development, this auction offered teams with an opportunity to build their teams.
With players such as Raina returning after a lengthy absence from the team and youngsters like Suryavanshi The balance of veteran players and several young prospects will make the season to come thrilling.
As teams put together their squads for the start of the season it will be interesting to see how their strategies will play out in the coming season. Keep track of Sportskia for the latest information and alerts of this season’s IPL.
