A record-setting first day at the IPL 2025 auction saw the franchises put together the core of the teams they will be using in the upcoming season, with some blockbuster moves and plenty of manoeuvring on show between all the teams. Shreyas Iyer set a new record for the most expensive player sold in the IPL auction, before Rishabh Pant broke it minutes later as he was sold to Lucknow Super Giants for INR 27 crore — but these blockbuster deals were only the surface of an intriguing day in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Punjab Kings were unsurprisingly the highest spenders on the day, as they shelled out a huge 88 crores as they looked to recreate their team from scratch under Ricky Ponting’s tutelage. Shreyas Iyer was the headliner, likely to take over captaincy duties, but huge values were also splashed out for Arshdeep Singh’s return and the purchase of Yuzvendra Chahal. Huge purchases were also made as Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis joined the franchise.

Delhi Capitals made strong strides towards setting up their new-look XI, led by KL Rahul for just 14 cr. Harry Brook and Jake Fraser-McGurk returned to the team, while Mitchell Starc will bring a world class international seamer back to the Kotla. DC will now look for depth and strong backup options on day two.

LSG built a terrific batting core, without breaking the bank too much. Rishabh Pant is the biggest buy, but Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, and David Miller provide a terrifying batting lineup to build around Nicholas Pooran. The return of Avesh Khan was a wily buy, but bowlers will be the focus on the second day with that being an area they can work on.

RCB fans were frustrated by their slow start to the auction, but the arrivals of international talent with Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Josh Hazlewood as well as the clever domestic purchases of Jitesh Sharma and Rasikh Salam Dar means their patient approach has still put them in a strong position heading into Monday. Still work to be done for the Bangalore team, though.

Gujarat Titans quietly built arguably the best pace bowling attack so far, finding good value for Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, and Mohammed Siraj, setting the stage for a formidable pace battery at the Narendra Modi Stadium. They also successfully managed to get a cornerstone player in Jos Buttler, allowing him to find another excellent young Indian opener to partner in Shubman Gill. The pieces look to be in place for GT.

KKR had the tall task of trying to replace their championship-winning captain, but opted to go with the old reliable by splurging on Venkatesh Iyer for 23.75 cr, in the most surprising purchase in terms of price on day one. They also kept hold of Angkrish Raghuvanshi, who might replace Shreyas Iyer in the top order, while landing Anrich Nortje to replace Mitchell Starc and keeping hold of Vaibhav Arora. Can they run it back?

Sunrisers Hyderabad already had plenty of pieces in place ahead of the auction, and added in strong and clever fashion by picking up experienced Indian internationals in Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Shami. Rahul Chahar and Harshal Patel were two more smart Indian buys to surround their strong overseas core, and SRH will also look to build on depth as they try to re-achieve the heights of the fantastic 2024 season. Fans, however, should be optimistic about the position they are in with a strong retention setting a great foundation.

Chennai Super Kings were typically clever in their purchases, landing the steal of the auction so far with Khaleel Ahmed at 4.80 crore while also retaining the services of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. However, the happiest part of CSK’s auction will be the return of a hero in yellow from the past, as Ravichandran Ashwin prepares to weave his web at the Chepauk in the IPL yet again.

Rajasthan Royals’ goal in the auction was always to go for the bowling quality on offer, with the batting relatively set. Their main buy was to get Jofra Archer back to the team with which he had such success in the past, but his fitness will remain a gamble. Two Sri Lankan spinners in Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga, but the Jaipur faithful will want some more star power in the bowling department on day two.

Mumbai Indians were the lowest spenders, biting their tongue in the first few sets and not going for a marquee buy with their batting largely in place. They stepped it up in the last third of the day’s sets, welcoming Trent Boult back to the Wankhede to bowl the powerplay overs and provide a strong foundation for Jasprit Bumrah to work his magic. They also welcomed back Naman Dhir, but the big ask for Mumbai is what they will do with the excess money in the bank on day two.