The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction wrapped up on Monday in Jeddah, after a massive two-day-long affair that saw 577 players go under the hammer. Teams, with boosted player purses of Rs 120 crore each, made smart calls and have constructed rosters for the upcoming three years. Here’s a look at the top-10 most expensive IPL players from the 2024 edition of the tournament. (Image Source: iplt20.com)
No. 1 | Rishabh Pant | Rs 27 crore | The left-handed wicket-keeper batter has become an integral member of the T20 cricket landscape in the country. Rishabh Pant is now heading to the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a massive chunk of their overall purse at Rs 27 crore. Pant thus became the most expensive player in IPL history, and the southpaw is likely to assume leadership credentials over there too. (Image Source: iplt20.com)
No. 2 | Shreyas Iyer | Rs 26.75 crore | The Indian batter has led two different IPL teams in the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) into the IPL finals. He is also a bankable batter in the middle-order, particularly renowned for his ability to take down spin bowling at will. (Image Source: iplt20.com)
No. 3 | Venkatesh Iyer | Rs 23.75 crore | KKR have relied heavily on loyalty off late and Venkatesh Iyer yielded the benefits of that by getting Rs 23.75 crore in this mega auction. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) went right down the wire to secure Iyer’s services, and his consistent efforts in the playoffs over the years appear to have delivered unexpected outcomes this time around. (Image Source: iplt20.com)
No. 4 | Arshdeep Singh | Rs 18 crore | The left-arm pacer was the second-best bowler for India behind Jasprit Bumrah in their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup-winning unit this year. He was, however, not retained by the Punjab Kings (PBKS). Regardless of that, PBKS chose to exercise their Right to Match (RTM) card to get Arshdeep back for Rs 18 crore. Interestingly, they could have retained him as their first-pick for the same price before the auction itself. (Image Source: iplt20.com)
No. 5 | Yuzvendra Chahal | Rs 18 crore | The former Rajasthan Royals (RR) leg spinner had a hefty payday, primarily because of the extraordinary sum prevalent with PBKS. Chahal is the leading wicket-taker in IPL history, and he could thrive bowling in the larger square boundaries at the home ground of PBKS, throwing up greater wicket-taking chances for him. (Image Source: iplt20.com)
No. 6 | Jos Buttler | Rs 15.75 crore | Gujarat Titans (GT) have strengthened their top order by acquiring Jos Buttler for Rs 15.75 crore in the mega auction. Buttler has been a champion cricketer in the IPL ecosystem and he was also the Orange Cap winner when they finished runners-up in 2022. Buttler is also expected to don the wicket-keeping gloves for GT, something that he didn’t do at RR. (Image Source: iplt20.com)
No. 7 | KL Rahul | Rs 14 crore | The Delhi Capitals (DC) have arguably chosen to replace Rishabh Pant with his fellow national team wicket-keeper in KL Rahul. The right-hander was gotten into DC for a fairly decent amount of Rs 14 crore, but he could be locked into a captaincy battle with Faf du Plessis, who went to DC for only Rs 2 crore. (Image Source: iplt20.com)
No. 8 | Trent Boult | Rs 12.5 crore | The New Zealand speedster returned to the Mumbai Indians (MI) in a homecoming of sorts at a hefty price of Rs 12.5 crore. Boult will form a formidable bowling partnership with the duo of Deepak Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah. A few key breakthroughs in the powerplay from Boult is what MI will desire from the Kiwi fast bowler. (Image Source: iplt20.com)
No. 9 | Josh Hazlewood | Rs 12.5 crore | The Australian pacer has had a fairly good role to play in the IPL. He might not be the quintessential pacer in the shortest format. However, Josh Hazlewood has added newer elements to his bowling by mixing up his lengths and also delivering yorkers at will. RCB have gotten him back for Rs 12.5 crore. (Image Source: ICC)
No. 10 | Jofra Archer | Rs 12.5 crore | The English express pacer has been dealing with plenty of injury layoffs. Yet, RR shelled out a significant amount for Jofra Archer, whom they had got into the IPL for the first time in 2018. His spell with the Mumbai Indians (MI) never really materialised due to his fitness setbacks, and Archer is eyeing a fresh start with RR now. (Image Source: iplt20.com)