India’s T20 World Cup-winning wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant made history on Sunday by becoming the most expensive player in IPL auction history. The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) secured Pant for a staggering ₹27 crore during the 2025 IPL mega auction held at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah.
Despite pre-auction buzz suggesting interest from Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), neither made a move. Instead, LSG faced intense competition from Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). After LSG’s ₹20.75 crore bid, Delhi Capitals (DC) exercised their Right-To-Match (RTM) card, only to drop out when LSG countered with a record-breaking ₹27 crore bid. This made Pant the costliest player in IPL history.
Earlier in the auction, India batter Shreyas Iyer had briefly held the record for most expensive IPL player. Punjab Kings (PBKS) acquired the former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) captain for ₹26.75 crore, breaking Mitchell Starc’s previous record of ₹24.75 crore set during the IPL 2024 auction.
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The bidding war for Iyer saw KKR compete fiercely with PBKS, later joined by Delhi Capitals. However, PBKS emerged victorious at ₹26.75 crore.
India pacer Arshdeep Singh opened the auction proceedings. After a brief pause, CSK initiated a fierce bidding war involving DC, Gujarat Titans (GT), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and RCB. SRH’s ₹15.75 crore bid pushed PBKS to use their RTM card, securing Arshdeep. SRH responded with an ₹18 crore offer, which PBKS matched to retain their star bowler.
However, PBKS opted not to retain South African pacer Kagiso Rabada, who was bought by GT for ₹10.75 crore. Meanwhile, Gujarat also acquired England’s white-ball captain for ₹15.75 crore, while Mitchell Starc joined Delhi Capitals for ₹11.75 crore.
