IPL Auction 2025: ‘Buying Shreyas Iyer for 26.75 crore is crime’

On Sunday, November 24, the star India National Cricket Team middle-order batsman Shreyas Iyer became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a few minutes.

Shreyas Iyer was roped in by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for a whopping INR 26.75 crore, and it was the biggest bid ever in the history of the Indian Premier League auction before Lucknow Super Giants spent INR 27 crore to acquire Rishabh Pant.

Also Read: IPL Auction 2025: ‘Clueless clown franchise’ – Fans react as PBKS rope in Arshdeep Singh for INR 18 crore

Shreyas Iyer breaks Mitchell Starc’s record

Iyer led the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title win in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. However, he was not retained by the franchise as the duo couldn’t reach a financial agreement, as per reports.

After releasing Iyer, KKR retained Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana and Ramandeep Singh.

Meanwhile, as Shreyas Iyer’s name came at auction, Kolkata Knight Riders instantly bid for him, and they were further engaged in a bidding war with Punjab Kings.

KKR pulled out of the race at INR 10 crore and Delhi Capitals joined the battle. DC and PBKS were desperate to rope in Iyer and they went all-out. In the end, it was the Punjab Kings franchise that was successful in acquiring Iyer as they spent a whopping INR 26.75.

Iyer broke Mitchell Starc’s record to become the most expensive player in IPL history for some time before Rishabh Pant broke his record.

Most expensive players in the IPL auction (in INR):

27.00 cr – Rishabh Pant (LSG, 2025)

26.75 cr – Shreyas Iyer (PBKS, 2025)

24.75 cr – Mitchell Starc (KKR, 2024)

20.50 cr – Pat Cummins (SRH, 2024)

18.50 cr – Sam Curran (PBKS, 2023)

18 cr – Arshdeep Singh (PBKS, 2024)

Here’s how fans on X reacted after Shreyas Iyer became the most expensive player in IPL history:

How many slots were open across teams?

Heading into the IPL 2025 mega auction, there were 204 slots available across the 10 franchises with each team allowed a maximum squad size of 25 players and a minimum of 18. Of the total slots, 70 were designated for overseas players.

Punjab Kings, with just two retained players, enter the auction with the most room to maneuver. They had a place for 23 players, including a full quota of eight overseas stars. In contrast, Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders had the least flexibility, with only 19 slots each.

Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, Lucknow Super Giants, and Mumbai Indians, after their retentions, had 20 slots available, varying slightly in their capacity for overseas additions.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru headed in with 21 and 22 slots, respectively, both capable of signing the maximum eight overseas players.

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