Mega IPL auction to take place in Saudi Arabia on Nov 24 and 25

The mega auction for the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25, as announced by the BCCI. Player registration closed on Monday, with a total of 1,574 cricketers (1,165 Indian and 409 overseas) registering for the event. The auction coincides with days three and four of the first Test match between India and Australia in Perth, which starts on November 22.

Each franchise will be able to form a squad of up to 25 players (including retained players), with a total of 204 slots available. This player pool comprises 320 capped players, 1,224 uncapped players, and 30 players from Associate Nations.

Among the capped players, 48 are from India, while 965 Indian uncapped players will also be available in the auction. High-profile Indian stars like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Arshdeep Singh are expected to be part of this year’s event.

The 10 franchises collectively have around ₹641.5 crore available for the 204 slots, of which 70 are reserved for overseas players. Currently, 46 players have been retained by the 10 franchises at a total expense of ₹558.5 crore.

Each franchise was initially allocated ₹120 crore for building their squads. Following the retention process announced on October 31, the Punjab Kings have the largest remaining budget at ₹110.5 crore, having retained only two uncapped players, Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, for ₹9.5 crore.

The Rajasthan Royals, led by Sanju Samson, have the smallest purse at ₹41 crore after retaining six players. The Kolkata Knight Riders have also retained six players, leaving them with a budget of ₹51 crore.