New Delhi: The IPL 2025 mega auction concluded on Monday after two days of intense bidding observed by the 10 franchises at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A total of 182 players found deals for the 18th season of the T20 extravaganza with a colossal sum of INR 639.15 crore was spent by all the teams.
There were 120 Indian players and 62 overseas players sold as all teams were able to finalise their new squads after three years. A total of 46 players were retained by all 10 teams on October 31. The IPL 2025 auction saw three players, all of them Indians, breaking the 20-crore window for the first time in the history of the auction.
There were many surprising uncapped players with Bihar’s 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi sold to Rajasthan Royals for INR 1.10 crore. We will take a quick look at the most expensive purchases made for batters, including the ones under the list of wicketkeeper-batters.
Top 5 expensive batters in IPL 2025 auction
1. Rishabh Pant
Indian swashbuckling wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant hit the jackpot with the tag of being the most expensive player in the history of the IPL. He was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for a whopping sum of INR 27 crore. The RPSG-owned franchise extended a final bid from INR 20.75 crore to INR 27 crore to snatch the deal from Pant’s former team Delhi Capitals.
2. Shreyas Iyer
Shreyas Iyer is the second most expensive player in the history of the IPL auction after Punjab Kings shelled out INR 26.75 crore to bag his services for IPL 2025. The Mumbai-born batter comes after a successful season as the captain of the victorious Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2024. He is most likely to lead PBKS next season as the franchise looks to end their title drought in the cash-rich league.
3. Jos Buttler
England wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler has a new team in the IPL. The 34-year-old was roped in by IPL 2022 champions Gujarat Titans with a huge sum of INR 15.75 crore, which made him the most expensive overseas batter to be picked up in the IPL auction this time. The top order batter is likely to open the innings with Titans skipper Shubman Gill.
4. KL Rahul
Indian player KL Rahul has moved to Delhi Capitals for a huge sum of INR 14 crore. He was picked up in the auction after Lucknow Super Giants released him from its squad during the retention window. Rahul is a top order batter, who has opened the innings in the IPL for most part of his 11-year IPL career.
5. Phil Salt
Phil Salt has moved to a new team in the IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru shelling out INR 11.50 crore to bring the English player at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The top order England batter will play for his third franchise in as many seasons after spending a one-year period with Delhi Capitals (IPL 2023) and Kolkata Knight Riders (IPL 2024) each.
There were 120 Indian players and 62 overseas players sold in the IPL 2025 mega auction as all teams were able to finalise their new squads after three years. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
