The first day of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction got concluded on Sunday (November 24). The event saw a plethora of international stars attracting huge bids from the franchises. A total of 72 players were sold, out of which 24 were overseas stars.
Jos Buttler was the most expensive pick in the auction, as he was purchased by Gujarat Titans for a whopping INR 15.75 crore. Buttler was the top batter for the Rajasthan Royals in the last three editions, scoring 1,619 runs. In 2022, he slammed 863 runs, with four centuries and won the Orange Cap.
Josh Hazlewood was bought by his former franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru for an amount of 12.5 crore. He has picked 35 wickets in 27 IPL games, while taking 20 in the 2022 season.
Mumbai Indians brought back Trent Boult into their setup after three seasons. During this time, Boult played for Rajasthan Royals and picked 45 wickets.
Mitchell Starc, who was the most expensive pick in last year’s auction, had to take a massive paycut as the Delhi Capitals secured his services for 11.75 crore. The left-arm pacer picked 17 wickets in 2024 and helped Kolkata Knight Riders to win the title.
Kagiso Rabada is fifth on the list with Gujarat Titans opting to purchase him for INR 10.75 crore. The right-arm pacer has 117 wickets in 80 IPL games.
Noor Ahmad was also a significant buy by Chennai Super Kings for INR 10 crore. Noor emerged as Player of the Series in CPL 2024 by picking 22 wickets in 12 games.
List of Top 5 overseas buys in IPL 2025 auction
#1 Jos Buttler – 15.75 crore
#2 Josh Hazlewood – 12.5 crore
#3 Trent Boult – 12.5 crore
#4 Mitchell Starc – 11.75 crore
#5 Kagiso Rabada – 10.75 crore
Ricky Ponting welcomes new rule for overseas players in IPL 2025 auction
The newly-appointed head coach of Punjab Kings, Ricky Ponting approved BCCI’s move to ban overseas players for two years, if they get bought in the auction and decide to opt out of the tournament. The apex board decided to bring this rule due to frequent pull-outs of players owing to personal reasons.
Moreover, all overseas players needed to register themselves in the mega auction, in order to remain in contention in the mini-auction in the coming years.
Ponting thinks BCCI’s move is beneficial for the franchises, who plan for the season well in advance and pick players according to their strategy. However, when that player misses out on playing in the cash-rich league, the team’s combination is disturbed. He said (via Cricbuzz):
“It’s a big investment that we, as coaches or as team owners, are making. And one false move in the auction can bring you undone for three or four years, and if that’s because someone doesn’t turn up, then I think what they brought in with the two-year ban is a great way to ensure that when the players put their name in, that they’re committed for that period of time.”
