IPL 2025 Mega Auction: 1,574 Players to Compete in Historic Jeddah Event

The much-anticipated IPL 2025 Mega Auction is set to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday and Monday, with 1,574 players vying for a spot in the world’s premier T20 league. The player pool comprises 1,165 Indian players and 409 overseas players, representing a diverse array of cricketing nations.

Breakdown of Registered Players

Among the 1,574 registrants, the list includes 320 capped players, 1,224 uncapped players, and 30 players from Associate Nations. A detailed breakdown reveals:

• Capped Players: 48 Indians, 272 internationals.
• Uncapped Players: 152 Indians with previous IPL experience, 965 without prior IPL experience, 3 internationals with IPL experience, and 104 internationals without prior experience.

The 409 overseas players come from 20 cricketing nations, with the highest registrations from:

• Australia: 76 players
• South Africa: 91 players
• England: 52 players
  Other notable contributors include New Zealand (39), West Indies (33), Afghanistan and Sri Lanka (29 each), and the USA (10).

Each of the ten franchises can fill up to 25-player squads, with 204 total slots available, 70 of which are reserved for overseas players. The highest reserve price is INR 2 crore, with 81 players opting for this bracket, while the largest segment of players has a base price of INR 30 lakh, totaling 320 registrants.

Marquee Players Headline the Auction

The marquee player list includes 12 star cricketers, divided into two sets for the first time since 2018:

• Set 1 (Indian players): Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and Arshdeep Singh.
• Set 2 (Indian players): KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
• Overseas stars: Mitchell Starc, Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, and Kagiso Rabada.

These marquee players, including prominent captains like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul, were released by their respective franchises ahead of the retention deadline.

Right-to-Match (RTM) Cards in Play

Several teams will strategically deploy RTM cards to buy back released players by matching the highest bid:

• KKR and Rajasthan Royals: No RTM cards, having retained six players each.
• Punjab Kings: Four RTM cards.
• Royal Challengers Bangalore: Three RTM cards.
• Delhi Capitals: Two RTM cards.
• CSK, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, and Mumbai Indians: One RTM card each.

Teams with RTM cards can secure a released player by matching the final bid after one additional bid from the highest bidder.

Released Players and Squad Building

A total of 574 players were released by franchises ahead of the auction, including 366 Indian and 208 overseas players. With marquee players and uncapped talent in abundance, franchises are poised to make strategic moves to secure the best talent for the next three seasons.