Ben Stokes, one of the biggest names in international cricket, has notably chosen to skip the 2025 IPL mega auction, which is scheduled for November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After opting out of the 2024 IPL season to manage his workload and fitness, Stokes is not listed among the 1,574 players who have registered for the 2025 auction. This decision follows a challenging period for the England all-rounder, who suffered a hamstring injury during The Hundred in August, forcing him to miss nearly two months of action.
The auction pool for IPL 2025 includes a significant number of marquee players, particularly Indian internationals who were not retained by their respective franchises. Among the notable Indian players are former captains Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals), KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants), and Shreyas Iyer (Kolkata Knight Riders), each with a base price of Rs 2 crore. Alongside them are seasoned bowlers like R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal (both released by Rajasthan Royals), and Mohammed Shami, who has been sidelined since the 2023 ODI World Cup final due to injuries.
Other key Indian players registering with a maximum base price of Rs 2 crore include Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan, Ishan Kishan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, T Natarajan, Devdutt Padikkal, Krunal Pandya, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, and Umesh Yadav.
In addition to these prominent Indian players, Prithvi Shaw and Sarfaraz Khan—both unsold in the previous auction—are back in the fray with a base price of Rs 75 lakh.
International players such as Mitchell Starc, who was bought for a record Rs 24.50 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in 2024 but is returning to the auction pool with a base price of Rs 2 crore, and Jofra Archer, who had a limited role for Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2023 due to injuries, are also listed with the same base price. James Anderson, the England fast bowler who retired from international cricket earlier this year and transitioned into coaching, is available with a base price of Rs 1.25 crore.
An interesting addition to the auction list is Thomas Draca from Italy, who made a name for himself in the Global T20 Canada and has since been picked by MI Emirates for the ILT20 in the UAE. His entry brings a touch of international flair to the auction, expanding the global reach of the IPL.
The IPL 2025 mega auction will see franchises looking to build well-rounded squads, with 204 available slots after retaining 46 players across all ten teams. Each franchise has a total purse of Rs 120 crore for player acquisitions. Notably, Punjab Kings (PBKS) have the largest remaining purse of Rs 110.5 crore, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) with Rs 83 crore and Delhi Capitals (DC) with Rs 73 crore.
Franchises can retain a limited number of players—up to six players, with a maximum of five capped and two uncapped players. Teams have various options, including retaining players outright, using the Right to Match (RTM) option during the auction, or a combination of both. For example, PBKS, having retained only two players, has the most RTM options at four, while RCB and DC have three and two RTM options, respectively.
Franchises that have retained five players, including Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Gujarat Titans (GT), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), each have one RTM option. Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who have retained six players, have no RTM options available.
The auction promises to be a highly competitive and exciting event, with teams looking to plug gaps in their squads and strengthen their title prospects for IPL 2025. Franchises will have the opportunity to buy back players during regular bidding if they place the highest bid, making the auction dynamic and unpredictable.
