One-time IPL runners-up Delhi Capitals (DC) are dreaming of setting up a special team for IPL 2025, which could end their long wait for the trophy. 

Delhi Capitals started the IPL 2025 mega auction with a 73 crore purse remaining after official spending of INR 47 crore to retain four players, including three capped and one uncapped. 

Pre Auction Retentions

(Capped)

Axar Patel (Indian): INR 16.50 Crore

Kuldeep Yadav (Indian): INR 13.25 Crore

Tristian Stubbs (South African): INR 10 Crore

(Uncapped)

Abhishek Porel (Indian): INR 4 Crore

Right-to-Match (RTM) card availability for the mega auction

2 capped players, or 1 capped + 1 uncapped player

Mega Auction Buys

KL Rahul (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 14 crore

Mitchell Starc (Australian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 11.75 crore

T Natarajan (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 10.75 crore

Jake Fraser-McGurk (Australian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 9 crore (Right-to-Match)   

Harry Brook (English): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 6.25 crore

Ashutosh Sharma (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 3.80 crore

Mohit Sharma (Indian): Base price INR 50 lakh – Bid won INR 2.20 crore

Sameer Rizvi (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 95 lakh

Karun Nair (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 50 lakh

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) started their IPL journey in the 2022 season and played Eliminators in their first two seasons before finishing in seventh place in the 2024 season.

LSG are looking to a new start with INR 69 crore at the beginning of the IPL 2025 mega auction. In the pre-auction retention, they officially spent 51 crore to retain five players, including three capped and two uncapped players.  

Pre Auction Retentions

(Capped)

Nicholas Pooran (Trinidadian): INR 21 Crore

Ravi Bishnoi (Indian): INR 11 Crore

Mayank Yadav (Indian): INR 11 Crore

(Uncapped)

Mohsin Khan (Indian): INR 4 Crore

Ayush Badoni (Indian): INR 4 Crore

Right-to-Match (RTM) card availability for the mega auction

1 capped player

Mega Auction Buys

Rishabh Pant (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 27 crore

Avesh Khan (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 9.75 crore

David Miller (South Africa): Base price INR 1.5 crore – Bid won INR 7.50 crore

Abdul Samad (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 4.20 crore 

Mitchell Marsh (Australian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 3.40 crore

Aiden Markram (South African): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 2 crore

IPL 2016 champions SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) stunned last IPL season by setting a powerful batting example, which they produced majorly in that entire tournament. They were very close to winning the IPL 2024 title but finished as the runners-up after suffering a thrashing IPL 2024 final defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders. 

SRH started the IPL 2025 mega auction with the purse remaining for INR 45 crore. Before the auction, SRH retained five capped players, which deducted INR 75 crore from the purse. 

Pre Auction Retentions

(Capped)

Heinrich Klaasen (South African): INR 23 Crore

Pat Cummins (Australian): INR 18 Crore

Abhishek Sharma (Indian): INR 14 Crore

Travis Head (Australian): INR 14 Crore

Nitish Kumar Reddy (Indian): INR 6 Crore

(Uncapped)

None

Mega Auction Buys

Ishan Kishan (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 11.25 crore

Mohammed Shami (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 10 crore

Harshal Patel (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 8 crore

Rahul Chahar (Indian): Base price INR 1 crore – Bid won INR 3.20 crore 

Adam Zampa (Australian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 2.40 crore

Atharva Taide (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 30 lakh

New Zealand Pacer Trent Boult will join Mumbai Indians after 4 years. Boult was brought by the five-time champions Mumbai Indians for 12.50 Crores. It was Mumbai Indians' first buy of the IPL Mega Auction 2025. Trent Boult played for the Mumbai Indians during the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Left Arm quick has scalped 38 wickets for them in 29 matches with an average of 22.71. Boult was monumental in the Mumbai Indians title- win in 2020 as he picked up 25 wickets in 15 matches with an average of 18.28.

⚡𝕏💥
#MumbaiMeriJaan #MumbaiIndians #TATAIPLAuction pic.twitter.com/qVI62gZtBq

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) November 24, 2024

It was a proper bidding war to get him back in Blue and Gold. As his former side, Rajasthan Royals weren’t letting go of him without a fight. MI placed their first bid at 6.50 Crore. Rajasthan Royals kept fighting till the bid of 12.25 Crore and they opted out later. Mumbai Indians made their fans a long wait of five hours for their first signing and as they say, patience yields the sweetest fruits.

The five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) always start the IPL edition as the favourites. They will surely continue their known and powerful reputation in the upcoming seasons. 

CSK started the IPL 2025 mega auction with the remaining purse value of INR 55 crore after retaining five players, four capped and one uncapped, before the pre-auction retention (officially deducted INR 65 crore). 

While CSK closely missed out on the IPL 2024 playoffs, they will surely want to maintain their top-four finishing consistency in the upcoming seasons with strong and dependable squads. 

Pre Auction Retentions

(Capped)

Ruturaj Gaikwad (Indian): INR 18 Crore

Ravindra Jadeja (Indian): INR 18 Crore

Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lankan): INR 13 Crore

Shivam Dube (Indian): INR 12 Crore

(Uncapped)

MS Dhoni (Indian): INR 4 Crore

Mega Auction Buys

Noor Ahmed (Afghanistan): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 10 crore

Ravichandran Ashwin (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 9.75 crore

Devon Conway (New Zealander): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 6.25 crore

Khaleel Ahmed (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 4.80 crore   

Rachin Ravindra (New Zealander): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 4.00 crore

Rahul Tripathi (India): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 3.40 crore

Three-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are the reigning champions. So, they have huge pressure for the IPL 2025 mega auction as the team has to set up to defend their title for the IPL 2025. 

After retaining six players, four capped and two uncapped players, KKR started the IPL 2025 mega auction with a remaining purse of INR 51 crore (after an official deduction of INR 69 crore). 

Pre Auction Retentions

(Capped)

Rinku Singh (Indian): INR 13 Crore

Varun Chakravarthy (Indian): INR 12 Crore

Sunil Narine (Trinidadian): INR 12 Crore

Andre Russell (Jamaican): INR 12 Crore

(Uncapped) 

Harshit Rana (Indian): INR 4 Crore

Ramandeep Singh (Indian): INR 4 Crore

Right-to-Match (RTM) card availability for the mega auction 

None

Mega Auction Buys

Venkatesh Iyer (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 23.75 crore

Anrich Nortje (South African): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 6.50 crore

Quinton de Kock (South African): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 3.60 crore

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 2 crore   

Three-time IPL winners and reigning IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) went all out in the IPL 2025 mega auction opening day to retain Venkatesh Iyer. KKR stunned by spending INR 23.75 crore for the capped Indian player. 

Although Kolkata Knight Riders didn't retain Venkatesh Iyer before the IPL 2025 auction, they bought the 29-year-old capped all-rounder for INR 23.75 crore. In the IPL 2025 mega auction, KKR were desperate for the known face, whose price IPL value has jumped huge from INR 8 crore to INR 23.75. 

LSG and RCB challenged KKR in the auction

From his base price of INR 2 crore, KKR started the bidding war with Lucknow Super Giants. After their bid ended INR 7.75 crore, Royal Challengers Bengaluru joined the battle with big bids. That intense expensive battle crossed the INR 23 crore mark, where the KKR finally won the bid. 

Iyer's IPL career

The 29-year-old Venkatesh Iyer has played all 51 IPL matches for KKR between 2021 and 2024. While the left-handed batter scored 1326 runs with an average of 31.57 and a strike rate of 137.12, including one century and 11 half-centuries, the right-arm medium pacer has bagged three wickets in his IPL career. 

During the IPL 2023, Iyer scored his most runs in an IPL edition, 404 runs in 14 innings (average of 28.86 and strike rate of 145.84), including his first IPL century. While he finished as the third leading run-scorer for his team in that season, he also finished in the same place for the IPL 2024 champions by scoring 370 runs in 13 innings (average of 46.25 and strike rate of 158.79) with the help of four half-centuries. 

In the meantime, the right-arm medium took all three IPL wickets in his debutant IPL season (2021). 

By spending a huge amount on Iyer in the IPL auction, the KKR have restricted their next auction battles, as the remaining purse suddenly dropped to less than INR 30 crore. 

The ongoing IPL Auction has already seen many players switching teams. Meanwhile, wicketkeeper batter Jos Buttler and Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who featured for Rajasthan Royals last season will not be part of them in the next season. England's wicketkeeper batter Jos Buttler was brought by Gujarat Titans for the amount of 15.75 Crore. Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal was picked by Punjab Kings for 18 CR. Rajasthan Royals posted an emotional post for the Buttler-Chahar duo.

The next time we see you, you both won't be in Pink and that hurts, but this love will remain the same.

Thank you for everything. 💗 pic.twitter.com/Ly8zD6SDfF

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) November 24, 2024

Former Indian cricket legend and head coach Rahul Dravid has made a much-anticipated return to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) as their head coach on a multi-year contract. Dravid, who previously captained the Royals in the 2012 and 2013 IPL seasons before taking on the role of mentor and Director of Cricket for the franchise in 2014 and 2015, is back in the IPL fold after a long hiatus.

Rahul Dravid returns to Rajasthan Royals, set for IPL auction after 8 years

Dravid’s last association with the IPL came before he shifted his focus to nurturing young Indian talent through the Under-19 setup. His efforts bore fruit as India produced several world-class cricketers during his tenure. More recently, Dravid concluded his stint as India's head coach on a high note, guiding the team to victory in the T20 World Cup 2024.

As Dravid prepares to represent RR at the IPL 2025 auction table, he reflected on his return, saying, “I haven’t attended an auction in about eight or nine years. I remember being part of the first auction in 2008—it felt strange and awkward back then. Over the years, the process has evolved, becoming more professional and organized. While there aren’t jitters, there’s certainly a level of excitement because you’re building a team.”

That time of the year 💗⏳ pic.twitter.com/Tdp7zRBkiW

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) November 24, 2024

#IPLAuction2025 ⏳🔥 pic.twitter.com/jCoOv82DtV

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) November 23, 2024

See Also: Iyer-Chahal duo in same IPL squad: Fans react on social media

Core retentions limit RR’s auction purse

Rajasthan Royals have retained a strong core, including skipper Sanju Samson, emerging stars Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag, alongside key players Shimron Hetmyer and Sandeep Sharma. This strategic move, however, has left them with ₹41 crore out of their ₹120 crore purse for the auction.

Dravid acknowledged the challenges this presents but emphasized the importance of adaptability during auctions. "We’ve retained a strong core, so we’re a little more comfortable. But in auctions, surprises are inevitable, and thinking on your feet is crucial,” he remarked.

With Dravid’s return and a well-structured squad, Rajasthan Royals are aiming to bring their A-game in IPL 2025 and reclaim the trophy.

Indian wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul has been purchased by Delhi Capitals for the price of RS. 14 Crore. There were too many questions raised about him in the last IPL season. Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru started the bids for KL Rahul. It was said that KL Rahul might come back to his former side Royal Challengers Bengaluru. But RCB didn't go after him and opted out even KKR as well. The only teams left behind him were Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings with CSK opting out it was almost confirmed that Delhi Capitals will get him. But as Lucknow Supergiants had an RTM Card it was asked if they might want to use it but they refused to use it. So, Delhi Capitals welcomed KL Rahul into their side.

KLassy entry toh banti hai boss 🙌😎 pic.twitter.com/1U9MIU94xb

— Delhi Capitals (@DelhiCapitals) November 24, 2024

KL Rahul in the IPL 2024 Season

Wicketkeeper batter KL Rahul had an average 2024 season as he scored 520 runs in 14 matches with an average of 37.14. He was able to score four half-centuries last season. Recently many questions were raised about his performance in white-ball format despite that Delhi Capitals backed him and bought him into the team. KL Rahul can bat at the top even if he can lead the side.

See Also:- Pant beats Shreyas to become most expensive player in IPL history

Lucknow Super Giants refused to use Right To Match (RTM) Card

The tension between KL Rahul and Lucknow Supergiants was raised when KL Rahul opted to enter into the auction ahead of the IPL Retention deadline. Lucknow Super Giants didn't look interested in buying back the skipper and even at the end when they were asked about using the Right To Match card they refused to use it on him.

Petition to officially call this the Chaat derby @DelhiCapitals?💙❤️ pic.twitter.com/gvCn4SxhNm

— Lucknow Super Giants (@LucknowIPL) November 24, 2024

The Lucknow Super Giants admin on X (former Twitter) posted a meme about Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul switching the IPL teams.