The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction Day 1 concluded on Sunday. The mega auction took place in the bustling city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. This is the second time that the IPL auction. The auction attracted millions of viewers and fans, live audiences were cheering for their favourite franchises. The fans witnessed intense bidding wars and record-breaking deals. With INR 467.95 crore spent on 72 players.
Franchises showed no hesitation in breaking banks to solidify their squads. The talented group includes both known players. Along with budding prodigies looking to create a name for themselves. The discovery of the next cricketing great is set to go down in sporting history. Punjab Kings came with the biggest purse in the auction and they spent on some big players as well.
There were some steal deals for the franchises as well. Some surprise players’ prices also skyrocketed. There are some more big names coming up for Day 2 of the event with some exciting uncapped players also not yet arrived. With little money left with franchises, there will be some great fights on the table for the acquisition. We will take a look at the most expensive players of the IPL auction 2025 after day 1 of the mega event.
Here are the top 5 most expensive buys of IPL 2025 auction
5. Arshdeep Singh
The seamer triggered a bidding war as the day’s first name. Teams including Chennai, Delhi, Rajasthan, and Gujarat made competitive offers before the Punjab Super Kings utilised their Right to Match (RTM) card to retain him for INR 18 crore.
The 25-year-old left-arm bowler, who won the T20 World Cup, has 76 wickets in 65 IPL games and impressed with his recent outings for India. His ability to bowl under pressure makes him an important player for Punjab.
4. Yuzvendra Chahal
IPL’s all-time greatest wicket-taker with 205 scalps, joined Punjab for INR 18 crore as their big spin signing. Gujarat, Chennai, and Lucknow first contended for the star legspinner before Punjab won in a last match against Hyderabad.
Yuzvendra Chahal, who has a fantastic record in 160 IPL appearances, offers experience and match-winning skills to Punjab’s bowling attack. This will be Chahal’s fourth IPL team, following stints with Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Rajasthan.
3. Venkatesh Iyer
The Madhya-Pradesh all-rounder played a major part in KKR’s success and is a valuable asset to the franchise. Kolkata won the bidding fight against Lucknow and Bengaluru. Iyer has 1,326 runs in 50 IPL games since his debut in 2021, with a strike rate of 137.13. He went for INR 23.75 crore to the Knights.
2. Shreyas Iyer
The former KKR captain Punjab Kings paid INR 26.75 crore for the player who led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024. The fierce bidding saw Punjab, Delhi Capitals, and Kolkata compete, with Punjab eventually outlasting the others. Iyer has 3,127 IPL runs in 115 matches and will bring stability to Punjab’s middle order as their new skipper.
1. Rishabh Pant
The Indian wicket-keeper batter became the most expensive player in IPL history when the Lucknow Super Giants signed him for a whopping INR 27 crore. Lucknow won the heated bidding war over teams like Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and the Delhi Capitals. The explosive batter with 3,284 runs in 111 matches and a strike rate of 148.93, adds immense value to Lucknow’s lineup.
