Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh are heading back to their respective IPL 2024 franchises. Yes, that is as per the Jio Cinema-broadcasted IPL 2025 Auction War room. The official IPL 2025 broadcasters have orchestrated a mock IPL auction. The real IPL 2025 mega auction is just touching distance away from us as all the ten franchises will go head to head in Jeddah on November 24 and November 25.
KKR swoop in Shreyas Iyer for Rs 21 crore
Representing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was ex-PBKS Director of Cricket, Sanjay Bangar. Bangar swooped in for Shreyas Iyer, who was released by the franchise at IPL 2025 Retentions. It was a surprising call by KKR, who won their third IPL title under Iyer’s captaincy. Meanwhile, at the IPL Auction War Room, Delhi Capitals, represented by Aakash Chopra, were persistent with Iyer. DC obviously need a captain and tried their best. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) also hopped in during the Rs 11 crore mark.
Ultimately, KKR finalised the bid as they paid the highest amount – Rs 21 crore at the mock auction. KKR started bidding at Rs 13 crore and were persistent enough. Talking about the real mega auction, KKR’s path to re-signing Iyer might not be straightforward. With an auction purse of Rs 51 crore and no Right to Match (RTM) card, the three-time champions could face stiff competition from other franchises.
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Iyer’s journey with KKR has been remarkable. After joining the franchise as captain in 2022, he missed the 2023 season due to a back injury but made a strong comeback in 2024, leading the team to their third IPL trophy. His personal performance was equally impressive, scoring 351 runs in 14 innings at an average of 39 and a striking rate of 146.86.
Arshdeep RTMed by PBKS for Rs 13 crore
Iyer wasn’t the only Indian pacer who went back to his previous franchise. Arshdeep Singh, who is likely to be the costliest Indian bowler in Jeddah, was bought by the joint-most IPL winners, Mumbai Indians (MI) for Rs 12 crore. MI was represented by former player Robin Uthappa. But then, unsurprisingly, the Punjab Kings (PBKS), with their massive budget of Rs 110.50cr utilised the RTM rule and got back Arshdeep for Rs 13.00 cr.
It came as a huge surprise when PBKS released Arshdeep, who has been a star performer not only for them but for the nation. In the IPL, the left-arm speedster has garnered 76 wickets at an incredible strike rate of 17.95. Apart from this, PBKS also bought Jos Buttler for Rs 13.50 crore. Moreover, the costliest player at this mock auction was Rishabh Pant, who was sold for a mountainous Rs 33 crore.
