The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has confirmed that the IPL 2025 auction will take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25. Initially, there were discussions about other locations like London, Dubai, and Singapore, but Saudi Arabia was ultimately selected. This decision marks a unique chapter in IPL history as the event ventures to the Middle East.
The auction is expected to feature prominent players like KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Rishabh Pant, whose previous franchise discussions remain unresolved. With an expanded budget and heightened anticipation, this auction could set new records.
Expanded Budget and Player Pool
In an unprecedented move, the BCCI has increased each team’s budget from INR 100 crore to INR 120 crore for the 2025 auction. This expanded budget offers franchises greater flexibility in player selection, opening the door to attracting top talent. The auction pool includes a total of 1,574 players: 1,165 Indian and 409 international players.
Among these, 320 are capped players, while 1,224 are uncapped, and 30 come from Associate Nations. Teams must fill their rosters up to 25 players each, creating 204 available slots across the franchises. This auction will include some of cricket’s biggest stars, including international figures like Mitchell Starc, Glenn Maxwell, and Jos Buttler.
Franchises and Auction Strategies
As the auction approaches, each franchise has crafted its strategy based on the retained and released players. The Punjab Kings enter with the largest available budget of INR 110.5 crore, having retained only two players—Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh. In contrast, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders retained six players each, leaving them with smaller budgets of INR 41 crore and INR 51 crore, respectively.
Teams with fewer retentions may use their substantial budgets to secure high-value players, while those with higher retentions will focus on targeted acquisitions. With numerous top players available and increased budgets, franchises are set to vie intensely to build competitive squads for IPL 2025.
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