The official schedule of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) has yet to be announced, but the Mega Auction is now just around the corner. This year, the auction will still be held in the Middle East, but this time, it will be in Jeddah instead of Dubai.
Every IPL fan knows how intense the Mega Auction can be as there are usually moments when each franchise would bid fiercely for certain players. This is also when we can get insights on which players to watch out for, especially those who are still emerging or are simply lesser-known.
So far, we already know which players have been retained by all the franchises. However, even if many of them have retained at least six players, it’s still hard to gauge how well they might perform in next year’s IPL.
Fans might have to wait until after the Mega auction to come up with their championship predictions. Especially to those who are looking to place a cricket bet online on 10CRIC or other online sportsbooks. Let’s take a closer look at which players each franchise might be looking to sign, and what they might be working on during the Mega Auction.
Chennai Super Kings
Retained Players:
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni
CSK has retained their core players, so they might only be looking to bolster their squad. Some of the names we might see them bidding on are Gerald Coetzee, Ishan Kishan, and Rishabh Pant, who has already expressed his interest in joining the team after Delhi Capitals.
Delhi Capitals
Retained Players: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel
Since they have already released Pant, it will be interesting to see how they’ll be rebuilding their squad. It’s been reported that they’re interested in signing Shreyas Iyer again as he’s been helpful in bringing them to the 2020 final.
Gujarat Titans
Retained Players: Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan
So far, some of the names that GT might bid on are Glenn Maxwell, Jos Buttler, and Mitchell Stark. They’ve also retained most of their core players, so they might be focused on looking for players who’d support them.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Retained Players: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh.
KKR will likely focus on strengthening its top-order batting lineup. To complement its current lineup, it might choose experienced and reliable fast bowlers like Jofra Archer, Mohammed Siraj, and Anrich Nortje.
Lucknow Super Giants
Retained Players: Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni
LSG has always had a balanced lineup of experienced and young players. However, they seemed to struggle with consistency last season, especially in their top batting order and bowling attack. They might consider getting players like Mitchell Starc and Phil Salt.
Mumbai Indians
Retained Players: Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma
Based on their retained list, MI has some serious gaps to fill in wicket-keeping and all-rounder positions. They might be one of the teams bidding for players like Jos Buttler, Phil Salt, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Punjab Kings
Retained Players: Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh
Punjab Kings only retained a few players, so they still have a big purse. That said, we can expect them to make some big signings. They might target high-profile players like wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and English player Jos Buttler.
Rajasthan Royals
Retained Players: Sanju Samson, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma
RR might be bidding for Rachin Ravindra, Arshdeep Singh, and Marcus Stoinis to add to their bowling attack lineup.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Retained Players: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal
RCB is another team that retained only three players, so we will see them do something different for the 2025 IPL. Some reports have claimed they want to sign players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Kagiso Rabada, and Ravichandran Ashwin. RCB has always been struggling with roster balance, so they might work on this better this year.
There are also rumours that Kohli will be the team’s captain again, but no official word from the team has been released yet. In case this isn’t true, Rajat Patindar is a strong contender for the role.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Retained Players: Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head
Since they no longer have B. Kumar, SH will have to focus on strengthening their bowling attack, so players like Avesh Khan and Yash Thakur might be included in their bidding list.
Remaining Purse for Each Team
Before retentions, all franchises had a purse of INR 120 crore, an increase of INR 20 crore from the previous seasons. All teams still had a significant amount to spend on the upcoming session, and here are their remaining budget post-retaining their core players:
Team | Remaining Purse (INR Crore) |
Chennai Super Kings | 55 |
Delhi Capitals | 73 |
Gujarat Titans | 69 |
Kolkata Knight Riders | 51 |
Lucknow Super Giants | 69 |
Mumbai Indians | 45 |
Punjab Kings | 110.5 |
Rajasthan Royals | 41 |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 83 |
Sunrisers Hyderabad | 45 |
Watch the 2024 IPL Mega Auction
The IPL 2025 Mega Auction is scheduled for November 24 and 25 and will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The decision to hold the auction in the UAE again this year is part of the league’s strategy to expand its global footprint and attract more international attention.
The Mega Auction will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network. For online streaming, it’s available on the JioCinema app. The auction should start at 3:00 PM IST.