Rishabh Pant became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) when he was sold for Rs 27 Crore to the Lucknow SuperGiants. Meanwhile, Punjab Kings bought KKR's trophy-winning former captain Shreyas Iyer for a whopping Rs 26.75 Crore.
The IPL Mega Auction 2025 Day 1 began in Saudi Arabia with the teams bidding for 12 superstars who were included in the two pots under the Marquee List. Most teams were expected to spend big to get these highly-rated cricketers on board.
Indian seamer Arshdeep Singh was the first player to be picked during this year's mega auction. After immense bidding involving multiple teams, the Punjab Kings used the Right to Match (RTM) rule (which allows former franchises the option to buy back their previous player for the sold price) to keep their seam bowler. In fact, the young left-arm speedster was the only marquee player to be retained using the RTM rule.
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 24.75 crore in the last auction., went to Delhi Capitals for Rs 11.75 crore. The Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders, all former IPL champions, didn't buy any of the 12 top-rated players of the Mega Auction 2025.
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There will be INR 641.5 crores cumulatively in the kitty of 10 teams with 204 possible slots to be filled.
Here is how the marquee players fared on the first day of the IPL Mega Auction 2025.
IPL Mega Auction first Marquee Pot:
Jos Buttler: Rs 15.75 Cr to Gujarat Titans
Shreyas Iyer: Rs 26.75 Cr to Punjab Kings
Rishabh Pant: Rs 27 Cr to Lukcnow SuperGiants
Kagiso Rabada: 10.75 Cr to Gujarat Titans
Arshdeep Singh: Rs 15. 75 Cr to Sunrisers Hyderabad; Punjab Kings uses RTM at Rs 18 Cr.
Mitchell Starc: 11.75 Cr to Delhi Capitals
IPL Mega Auction second Marquee Pot:
Yuzvendra Chahal: 18 Cr to Punjab Kings
Liam Livingstone: Rs 8.75 Cr to Royal Challengers Bengaluru
David Miller: Rs 7.50 Cr to Lucknow SuperGiants
KL Rahul: Rs 14 Cr to Delhi Capitals
Mohammed Shami: Rs 10 Cr to Sunrisers Hyderabad
Mohammed Siraj: Rs 12.25 Cr to Gujarat Titans