The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Mega Auction is set to take place on November 24 and 25, 2024, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This marks only the second time in IPL history that the auction will be held outside India, with the previous instance being the mini-auction held in Dubai last year
SOURCE : ZEE
The mega auction is a highly anticipated event in the cricket calendar, where franchises rebuild their squads from scratch. Unlike the mini-auction, where teams make minor adjustments, the mega auction requires franchises to release most of their squad and retain only a handful of players. This year, each franchise has been allowed to retain a maximum of six players, leading to a total of 46 players being retained across the 10 teams.
Source:- bbc news
The auction will see a total of 204 slots available for franchises to fill, with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) having the most vacancies (23), followed closely by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) with 22 slots. Other teams like the Delhi Capitals (DC), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI), Gujarat Titans (GT), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and Rajasthan Royals (RR) each have 20 slots open.
Each franchise has been given a budget cap of ₹120 crore to build their squads. However, a significant portion of these budgets has already been utilized for player retentions. The Punjab Kings enter the auction with the highest purse of ₹110.5 crore, followed by RCB with ₹83 crore, DC with ₹73 crore, GT with ₹69 crore, LSG with ₹69 crore, CSK with ₹55 crore, KKR with ₹51 crore, MI with ₹45 crore, SRH with ₹45 crore, and RR with ₹41 crore.
A total of 1,574 players have registered for the mega auction, including 320 capped players and 1,224 uncapped players. The list includes 48 top Indian stars, 272 capped internationals, and 1,054 uncapped players. High-profile players like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Mitchell Starc, and Jofra Archer feature in the auction with a base price of ₹2 crore
The Right to Match (RTM) option will be available this season, but with a new twist. Traditionally, RTM allows franchises to match the winning bid of their rival for a player they released before the auction. This time, the team that placed the winning bid will be given one last chance to raise the stakes further, and it will be up to the team using RTM to decide whether they want to match the new bid or not.
As the IPL 2025 Mega Auction approaches, fans and franchises alike are gearing up for an exciting and competitive event. With so many high-profile players up for grabs, the auction promises to be a thrilling spectacle, setting the stage for an exciting new season of the IPL.
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