The IPL 2025 mega auction has come to an end. The 10 franchises together spent a whopping 639.15 crore rupees on 182 players over the two hectic days in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Most of the 10 teams entered the bidding wars after first opting to retain their core group. The expected marquee list of players grabbed all the limelight in the lead-up to the auction ever since the complete list of 574 players was announced for the mega auction. Here are a few picks considered as hits and misses.
The Hits
Rishabh Pant to Lucknow Supergiants: The Delhi captain was picked up by Lucknow for a record breaking 27 crores. Lucknow had been looking for a replacement for the outgoing KL Rahul and Pant seems to be the ideal buy. It is expected that he will be given the main role in the Lucknow team as the captain, leader and wicketkeeper. He is also great for PR and will be seen as the face of the franchise. Pant is coming into his prime and maybe a future Indian captain as well, so this buy though costly may turn out to be an extremely shrewd investment.
KL Rahul to Delhi Capitals: Rahul has been a star in the IPL, notching up runs while also developing into a stellar leader. He has more than 4500 runs to his name in the league at an astonishing average of over 45. The Delhi Capitals snapped up Rahul for a cutprice 14 crores, arguably one of the steals of the auction. Though the Capitals lost Rishabh Pant, replacing him with KL Rahul for almost half the price makes this one of the buys of the mega auction.
Harry Brook and Jake Fraser-Mcgurk to Delhi Capitals: Harry Brook is considered as one of the top talents in the game. He opted out of the 2024 IPL due to personal reasons, but remains highly rated. Delhi snapped him up for a mere 6.25 crores. DC were also successful in retaining the services of the explosive Mcgurk for 9 crores. The duo will add much needed depth to the DC batting, together costing only 15.25 crores.
Rachin Ravindra to Chennai Super Kings: The talented all rounder was retained by Chennai for a cutprice 4 crores. In his debut IPL season, Rachin scored 222 runs in 10 games. Recently, he impressed in the three-match Test series against India. His performances and his all round ability makes him a steal at such a price.
The Misses
David Warner: The veteran Australian who has spent more than decade in the IPL is considered a legend in the league. The Orange Cap winner in 2015, 2017, and 2019, Warner is the fourth-highest run-scorer in the history of IPL, and if this marks the end of his journey he will be considered as one of the league’s greats. Unfortunately for him, Warner wasn’t picked up for this edition of the IPL.
Kane Williamson: A former IPL captain and one of the top players of his generation, Kane Williamson, also remained unsold. The Orange Cap winner in 2018 has tremendous experience behind him, however injuries and patchy form has meant that IPL teams have decided to pass on the chance to buy the Kiwi great.
Prithivi Shaw: As a talented youngster Shaw was once considered as one of the most talented up and coming batsmen of the country. However his career has not quite panned out despite some successful IPL seasons, and the failure to find an IPL team will be a big step back for a player who has struggled with fitness and discipline. Shaw didn’t quite make the cut after being released by the Delhi Capitals last month.
Jonny Bairstow: Bairstow used to be one of the most fearsome batters in world cricket a few years back, however he seems to have lost a lot of his form and he has clicked only in a few innings. A quiet couple of years at the highest level for Bairstow has meant that while many of his England teammates have found big-money moves, he remained unsold at the auction.
