Shreyas Iyer becomes most expensive player in IPL history at INR 26.75 Cr

Shreyas Iyer became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction after he was paid INR 26.75 Cr by the Punjab Kings at the IPL 2025 Mega Auction. 

Iyer, who is the IPL 2024 winning skipper with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), soared past Mitchell Starc’s price of INR 24.75 Cr, which he was paid by KKR at the IPL mini auction in 2024. 

The bidding for Iyer started at INR 2 Cr with KKR raising their paddle. Punjab Kings (PBKS) came in and the war began between the two. 

It went on till 7.75 Cr before Punjab backed out, but only to return later. However, in between these two entries, KKR fought with Delhi Capitals. These two raised the bid to INR 10.5 Cr. KKR then decided not to raise their paddle. 

The PBKS entered the race again and took the bidding past the INR 16 Cr, which was the highest amount bid for any Indian player in IPL history. In the end, KKR did not have the RTM to use and thus, Iyer will now be playing for Punjab under Ricky Ponting, who was his head coach when he first donned the captain’s hat in the IPL for the Capitals.

The mega auction is a two-day event, taking place on November 24 and 25 at the Abady Al Johar Arena in Jeedah City, Saudi Arabia. A total of 577 players are going under the hammer on Day 1. All 10 franchises combined could buy a total of 204 players. 

Arshdeep Singh was the first player to be sold at the Mega Auction as he was RTMed by Punjab Kings for whopping INR 18 Cr. 

If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out on our content — big time. Download the App here.