What to expect from the 2025 IPL auction

Jonhenry Wilson
Delhi Capitals

Here is everything we know so far about the upcoming IPL (Indian Premier League) auction, including dates, times, and locations.

We have also included a few predictions about who might be the winners and losers at this year’s auction and some early theoretical cricket odds for which team will most likely come out on top in the league next season.

More accurate odds will soon be available on trusted iGaming sites.

What we know so far about the 2025 IPL Auction

Here’s everything we know so far about the multi-day auction known as the IPL Mega Auction, where men’s professional cricket players who will be competing in the 2025 IPL campaign are pooled together and then sold/auctioned to the franchise with the highest bids (as per the rules and regulations in the official IPL rulebook).

A total of teams, each comprising 18 players (a maximum of 25 players per squad), can have no more than 8 overseas players. The bidding takes place in separate groups for spin bowlers, batters, fast-bowlers, all-rounders, and wicket-keepers, and the marquee players are put up for auction first.

Here are a few quick facts about the 2025 IPL Mega Auction:

  • Name: IPL Mega Auction
  • Date: November 24 and 25
  • Time: The most likely start time is 12:30 local time
  • Location: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
  • Number of players being auctioned: 574 players (336 Indian and 208 overseas players)
  • Marquee players at IPL 2025 (first and second groups): Liam Livingston, Rishabh Pant, Jos Butler, KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Shreya Iyer, Mohammed Shami, David Miller, Mitchell Starc, and Kagiso Rabada

Some of the biggest Indian stars to keep an eye out for at IPL 2025 are R Ashwin, Krunal Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Khaleel Ahmed, Umesh Yadav, Deepak Chahar, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

That’s not forgetting Washington Sundar, Prasidh Krishna, Harshal Patel, Devdutt Padikaal, and Mukesh Kumar, to name a few.

The biggest overseas stars to keep an eye out for are Sam Curran, Rachin Ravindra, Faf du Plessis, Jonny Bairstow, David Warner, Devon Conway, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stionis, and Quinton de Kock, among others.

Every three years in the IPL, teams must undergo a huge reshuffle, meaning they can only retain a specific number of players (6) and must use the Mega Auction to rebuild their squads. In the years between, Mini Auctions are held, and IPL franchises aren’t restricted to the number of players they can retain during these auctions.

Final thoughts

We will likely see records being broken at the upcoming 2025 IPL auction, with franchises spending more money than ever during their efforts to rebuild their squads. It’s hard to say who the biggest winners and losers will be, so we will have to just wait and see what happens. There will no doubt be many surprises this year.

It’s still too early to say who might come out on top next year in IPL 2025, and the odds for this particular market aren’t yet available. The current reigning champions, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who recently secured their third IPL title, will likely be priced at around 13/4 (fractional odds), which is 4.25 in decimal odds/+325 in American/moneyline odds, meaning they have a 23.50% implied probability rate of winning IPL 2025 outright.

You may also find that when the odds are released for next season, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK and Mumbai Indians (MI) will likely be jointly priced at around 4/1 (5.00 or +400) with a 20.00% IPR. However, don’t forget that these odds are just theoretical.