Former Delhi Capitals bowler Rasikh Salam, who emerged as the star attraction, bagged a jaw-dropping Rs 6 crore from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the uncapped pacers list in the IPL 2025 Auction here at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah on Sunday.
Other key signings saw in the auction included Mohit Sharma moved to Delhi Capitals at Rs 2.2 crore and Simarjeet Singh for R 1.5 crore to Sunrisers Hyderabad.
A solid base price of Rs 30 lakh of Rasikh Salam initiated an early auction war between RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). This deal very soon crossed over Rs 1 crore as two franchises indulged in open interest. And RCB's aggressive betting pushed the price to Rs 2 crore, and SRH was out of the fray.
Delhi Capitals (DC) got back into the fray using their Right to Match (RTM). Undeterred, RCB continued to raise the stakes and finally clinched Salam for a whopping Rs 6 crore, all but knocking DC out of the reckoning.
Salam's consistencies in domestic cricket and his ability to deliver in crunch situations made him a prized pick for RCB, who continue to strengthen their bowling arsenal for IPL 2024.
Veteran pacer Mohit Sharma, with a base price of Rs 50 lakh, drew bids from Gujarat Titans (GT) and Delhi Capitals (DC). The bidding war escalated past Rs 1 crore, with PBKS briefly contemplating a counter before stepping back. GT and DC continued battling for the seasoned bowler, with DC finally prevailing at Rs 2.2 crore.
The performances of Akash Madhwal in IPL 2023 brought Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) to the battle for claiming his services. With heated competition in a series of bids, RR managed to get the promising pacer for Rs 1.2 crore.
From the opening bid of Rs 30 lakh, Vyshak Vijaykumar brought in a rivalry between Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings. The auction rose above Rs 1 crore as PBKS fetched him for Rs 1.8 crore.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) initiated bidding with Rs 30 lakh for Vaibhav Arora. Rajasthan Royals entered and pushed the price above Rs 1 crore. KKR outbided DC in the end and got him for 1.8 crores.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) opened the bidding for Yash Thakur, but Gujarat Titans (GT) bid further. Eventually PBKS managed to get the player at Rs 1.8 crores.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) fought for Simarjeet Singh and SRH won the race at Rs 1.5 crore.
The possible young pacer Kartik Tyagi goes unsold at the base price of Rs 40 lakh.
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