A game-changing event in Jeddah with star players and bold strategies
Tags: IPL 2025
Published on: November 25, 2024
The IPL 2025 Mega Auction, held from November 24-25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, marked a major reshuffle in team compositions. The auction saw 574 players competing for 204 slots, with 366 Indian players and 208 foreign players, including participants from the US and Scotland. Teams came in with revised strategies, taking advantage of an increased salary cap and a Right-to-Match (RTM) rule, which allowed them to re-acquire certain released players.
Key aspects:
The best marquee players:
Set 1 included big names like Mitchell Starc, Jos Buttler, Rishabh Pant and Kagiso Rabada, all starting at a base price of ₹2 crore. These players saw intense bidding wars as teams looked for game changers for the upcoming season.
Set 2 featured KL Rahul, Liam Livingstone and Yuzvendra Chahal, adding more excitement to the marquee segment.
Categories of players:
The players were organized into sets based on roles: batsmen, all-rounders, bowlers, wicketkeepers and spinners. This ensured a wide range of options for franchises to fill specific gaps in their teams.
Prominent players like Harry Brook, Devon Conway and Ravichandran Ashwin got substantial offers.
Strategic adjustments:
The introduction of a cap on the prices of foreign players added value to Indian players, especially the uncapped ones. Franchises like Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad were particularly aggressive, given their large budgets available.
Auction Environment and Trends:
Held at the Abady Al Johar Arena in Jeddah, the auction brought a global touch, reflecting the ever-increasing international appeal of the IPL. The event was broadcast live star sports and has been rebroadcast JioCinemaensuring the participation of fans worldwide
For more detailed information on team retentions, bidding strategies and the full roster of players, you can explore the full auction set breakdown
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