At the Saudi mega auction, Rishabh Pant was bought by the Lucknow Super Giants for ₹27 crore (£2.54 million), making him the most expensive player in Indian Premier League (IPL) ever. The Delhi Capitals, the 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman’s former team, and the Super Giants engaged in a fierce bidding war.
Earlier in the day, when Punjab Kings bought Shreyas Iyer, the previous record of ₹26.75 crore (£2.51 million) was broken by Pant’s purchase. Pant’s acquisition surpassed the previous highest bid for an IPL player, set by Mitchell Starc, who sold for ₹24.75 crore (£2.3 million) the year before.
Australian seamer Starc was signed by the Delhi Capitals for ₹11.75 crore (£1 million), a significant discount from his previous year’s pricing. When he joined the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2023, he hauled in ₹24.75 crore at the auction, which was much more than this sum.
In the first round of the auction, Jos Buttler was the only player from England. For ₹15.75 crore (£1.4 million), the Gujarat Titans purchased the England wicketkeeper and white-ball captain. Gujarat will have a lot more firepower thanks to Buttler, who is known for his explosive batting.
The talented seamen Jofra Archer was first taken off the auction list but was then added back. Archer, who won Player of the Tournament in 2020–21, will pay ₹12.5 crore (£1.18 million) to rejoin the Rajasthan Royals.
The cost to Royal Challengers Bangalore of signing the hard-hitting English all-rounder Liam Livingstone was ₹8.75 crore (£796,000). Phil Salt, an opener, joined RCB for ₹11.5 crore (£1 million), bolstering the team’s batting options.
Harry Brook, who was initially selected by the Delhi Capitals in the mini-auction held in December of last year, re-signed with them for ₹6.25 crore (£590,000). A personal sorrow surrounding the death of his grandma forced Brook to miss the 2024 Indian Premier League.
In addition, the Delhi Capitals acquired Australian batter Jake Fraser-McGurk for ₹9 crore (£850,000). Fraser-McGurk was an outstanding performer last season, scoring four half-centuries. The Capitals’ batting lineup is strengthened by his comeback.
For ₹4.2 crore (£390,000) and ₹11 crore (£1.03 million), respectively, the Ricky Ponting-led Punjab Kings bought Australian all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis. With these additions, the squad will have more all-around alternatives for the upcoming campaign.
For ₹9.75 crore (£927,000), veteran Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who was a member of the Chennai Super Kings from 2008 to 2015, returned. His return is anticipated to have a significant positive impact on CSK’s spin department.
Two New Zealand players were also pursued by Stephen Fleming’s Chennai Super Kings. Rachin Ravindra was signed for ₹4 crore (£378,000), and Devon Conway was purchased for ₹6.25 crore (£590,000), giving CSK’s team more depth before the upcoming season.
Mohammad Siraj, who was selected by Gujarat Titans for ₹12.25 crore (£1.15 million), and KL Rahul, who joined Delhi Capitals for ₹14 crore (£1.35 million), are two more well-known Indian players who were purchased. One of the high earners, Venkatesh Iyer, secured a deal of ₹23.75 crore (£2.1 million).
