Among the high-priced names that come with a reserve price of INR 2 crore in the Mega Player Auction for the 2025 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and K.L Rahul who had led their franchises but aren't retained by their franchise. The other one is England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler.
They will join South African pacer Kagiso Rabada, India's Arshdeep Singh, Australia's Mitchell Starc, Indian spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, back-from-injury pacer Mohd Shami and his compatriot Mohd Siraj in the highest-price bracket for the auction and expected to trigger intense bidding war when the auction takes place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25, 2024.
Indian Premier League finally produced the most-watched Player Auction List for 2025, with a total of 574 players, who are going to feature in the Mega Auction in Saudi Arabia. Delhi Capitals opted not to retain Pant while Kolkata Knight Riders let go Shreyas Iyer, and Lucknow Super Giants let K.L Rahul go.
Out of 574 players placed on the auction list, 366 are Indian and 208 oversea aspirants, three are from Associate Nations. The Auction will have 318 Indian uncapped and 12 oversea uncapped players.
There would be 204 slots available, 70 slots open for overseas players, Jay Shah, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said on behalf of the IPL, on Friday.
According to the BCCI statement, the highest reserve price stands at INR 2 crore while 81 players have opted for that highest bracket. The reserve price for 27 players is INR 1.50 crore, and 18 players will enter the mega auction with an assigned reserve price of INR 1.25 crore.
There will be two marquee player sets at the start of the auction. The players in Marquee Set 1 comprise Buttler, Shreyas Iyer, Pant, Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Starc. In Marquee Set 2, Chahal, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj will be.
The franchises have retained a total of 46 players, investing a cumulative INR 558.5 crore. The defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders and the inaugural season's winner Rajasthan Royals have gone for total retentions, retaining six players each. Five teams, including Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, Mumbai Indians, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, have retained five players. Delhi Capitals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Punjab Kings (PBKS) have retained four, three, and two players, respectively.
The registration for IPL players closed yesterday with a total of 1,574 players -- 1,165 Indian and 409 overseas -- signing up to feature in the Mega Player Auction of the 2025 edition of the tournament that will be spread over two days in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25.
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