The IPL 2025 auction is poised to be an electrifying event, with a lineup of notable marquee players set to capture the attention of fans and franchises alike. Scheduled to occur on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, the auction will feature a total of 12 marquee players, including Indian stars Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul, all of whom were recently released by their respective franchises ahead of the retention deadline.
The marquee player list is heavily dominated by Indian talent, with seven out of the twelve names hailing from the country. Iyer, Pant, and Arshdeep Singh represent the first group of marquee players. The second group includes Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj. The five international players featured in this prestigious category are Mitchell Starc, the left-arm fast bowler from Australia, who made headlines with a record-breaking bid at the IPL auction prior to the 2024 season, England white-ball captain Jos Buttler, allrounder Liam Livingstone, South African power-hitter David Miller, and pace bowler Kagiso Rabada.
However, not all anticipated names made it onto the auction list. Among the prominent absences are England pacers Jofra Archer and Mark Wood. Archer, who has recently returned to competitive cricket following an extended period of rehabilitation, had been a high-profile purchase for the Mumbai Indians in 2022, fetching a price of INR 8 crore despite his limited availability due to injury. Over the course of two seasons, he played only five matches before being released. His base price for the upcoming auction stands at INR 2 crore.
Wood was similarly affected by injury during his tenure with the Lucknow Super Giants. After missing the entire 2022 season, he managed to play a mere four games in 2023, only to be sidelined for the 2024 season as part of the England and Wales Cricket Board's workload management strategy leading up to the T20 World Cup. The ECB had similarly withdrawn Archer from the IPL 2024 auction to facilitate his recovery. Notably, James Anderson, the legendary England pacer who recently ended his Test career as the country’s all-time leading wicket-taker, is part of the auction shortlist. At 42 years old, Anderson is aiming to make his debut in the IPL, listing himself at a base price of INR 1.25 crore.
At the opposite end of the age spectrum is 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the youngest player at the auction. Already a participant in five first-class matches for Bihar, Suryavanshi has made an impression in youth cricket, notably scoring a century against the Australia Under-19 team last month. He represents a significant prospect for franchises seeking to invest in youthful talent.
Another young player to watch is Sri Lanka Under-19 fast bowler Dumindu Sewmina, known for his unconventional slingy bowling action. Although he has played only one T20 match to date, he recently secured a place in the Lanka T10 league, drawing comparisons to fellow Sri Lankan bowlers Matheesha Pathirana and Nuwan Thushara, who have successfully transitioned to the IPL.
This upcoming auction marks a departure from the traditional presentation of marquee players. It is the first split since the 2018 auction, which featured 16 marquee players divided into two sets. The last mega auction held in 2022 adhered to a single group of ten marquee players. Teams such as the Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals, which each retained a maximum of six players, will not have access to right-to-match cards during the auction.
Conversely, the Punjab Kings are well-positioned with four RTM cards, while the Royal Challengers Bengaluru possess three, and the Delhi Capitals hold two. Other franchises like the Chennai Super Kings, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, and Mumbai Indians have one RTM card each. The RTM option allows teams to reacquire players they have released by matching the highest bid made for those players. Should a team secure the highest bid, it has the option to adjust their bid one last time, allowing the original team to make a final attempt to match the new bid.
A total of 574 players will be auctioned, comprising 366 Indian players and 208 from overseas, alongside three representatives from Associate teams: Ali Khan and former India Under-19 captain Unmukt Chand from the USA, and Scotland’s Brandon McMullen. Of the 330 uncapped players, the majority, 318, are Indian.
As the auction nears, the anticipation grows, as 204 slots await filling across the ten franchises, with 70 reserved for international talent. The event is set to commence at 1 PM local time (3:30 PM IST) on November 24. This year’s auction is not just about the players; it is equally about the strategies that franchises will employ to either bolster their squads or retain established stars, making it a critical juncture in the competitive landscape of Indian Premier League cricket.