The IPL 2025 mega auction is just around the corner, and team officials are heading to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where the auction will happen on 24th and 25th November. This is expected to be a huge auction as it’s a mega auction. Many teams have listed their top players and preferred choices, and they’ll all be competing to get the best players. The aim is to form the perfect squad for the next three years, with a significant budget in hand.
This year, the mega auction will feature different rules compared to what we saw in 2019. These changes will make the auction unique and special. Let’s understand the new rules for IPL 2025.
New rules for IPL 2025 mega auction
In the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction, teams have the chance to retain their top talent using the Right to Match (RTM) option. This means that apart from directly retaining players, teams can use RTM to match the highest bid made for a player from their previous squad, thereby securing their services once again. This strategic option allows teams to maintain a strong core group while also competing fiercely for new additions.
Financial details and participation rules
For IPL 2025, the auction budget for each team is set at INR 120 Crore. The total salary cap now includes the auction purse, additional performance pay, and match fees. In 2024, the salary cap was Rs. 110 Crore, but it will increase to Rs. 146 Crore in 2025, Rs. 151 Crore in 2026, and Rs. 157 Crore in 2027.
For overseas players, if they don’t register for the mega auction, they cannot register for the next year’s auction. Additionally, players who register and get picked in the auction but later declare themselves unavailable before the season starts will face a 2-season ban from the tournament and future auctions.
An interesting rule for Indian players is that if a capped player has not played in the starting XI in international cricket for the last five years or lacks a central contract with BCCI, they will be treated as uncapped. This rule only applies to Indian players.
Latest IPL auction news
IPL 2025 auction begins with marquee players
The IPL 2025 auction will kick off with 12 top-tier players, split into two groups of six each. The first group includes Jos Buttler, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Mitchell Starc. The second group features Yuzvendra Chahal, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, and Mohammed Siraj.
After the marquee players, the auction will proceed with capped players based on their roles such as batters, allrounders, wicketkeeper-batters, fast bowlers, and spin bowlers. Then, uncapped players will be introduced in a similar manner, sorted by their specialisation.
Accelerated phase of the auction
Once player number 116 is auctioned (timings permitting), the auction will move into a faster phase, dealing with players numbered 117 to 574. After this, teams will be allowed to propose unsold players from the entire list for another round of quick bidding.
