Strategic bidding

Back in 2008, on the lines of popular franchise tournaments across sports worldwide, cricket in India took a drastic turn. The hybrid model combining cricket and business came to manifest as the Indian Premier League. Now in its 18th year, the business aspect of the tournament has come to be more refined than ever, with strategies becoming more discrete and evolved. The 2025 IPL Mega Auction in Jeddah was nothing short of a blockbuster, It delivered all the drama and thrill cricket fans have come to expect from the sport’s grandest marketplace. Gone are the days when team owners picked their potential squads from auctions merely on the basis of stardom and popularity. A great deal of research and planning appears to be going into auctions. Pragmatic combinations, and not flamboyance, has become the yardstick of decision-making. The IPL, as a franchise sport, is fast approaching maturity. Or can it be said to have reached a fulcrum already?

In the views of some analysts, the auction for 2025 also reflected cricket’s shifting priorities, where youth and adaptability often eclipsed experience and reputation. This might be partly true as many big names, who were once heralded as stars, now find themselves unsold. On the other hand, veterans like Bhuvneshwar Kumar proved there’s still a premium on seasoned skills. Despite being out of the Indian team for two years, he landed a jaw-dropping Rs 10.75 crore deal with RCB. However, many of the picks and omissions can better be explained through the lens of circumstantial realities and requirements of any specific team, and not just merely in view of player’s relevance or skill levels. Auction mechanisms reflect the core business principle of utility, more than quality and calibre of any particular sportsperson. Only this could explain the ‘unsold’ status of players like Kane Williamson, David Warner, Shardul Thakur etc. On the other end of the spectrum, we have fresh talents like 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi from Bihar, who became the youngest player ever selected in IPL history. The Rajasthan Royals secured the young prodigy for Rs 1.10 crore. For a boy who has just debuted for Bihar in T20 cricket, it is indeed a fairy-tale moment. Delhi’s Priyansh Arya—dubbed as ‘six-hitting machine’—has been picked by Punjab Kings for Rs 3.80 crore. Two of Punjab’s surprise picks last year—Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma—had delivered impressively last year, taking the team’s pride in several matches on their strong shoulders.

Powerhouses like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings have stuck to their proven formulas—Mumbai prioritised overseas pacers and lower-order power-hitters, while Chennai stayed true to their core of experienced Indian players, picking up stalwarts like R Ashwin and Deepak Hooda. Mumbai Indians made a valuable addition in the form of Will Jacks, alongside Ryan Rickelton and Bevan-John Jacobs. Their approach is not about taking wild risks but consolidating strengths that have served them well. Meanwhile, teams like Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals appear to have opted for reinvention. Punjab, with the largest purse, constructed a balanced squad centred around players like Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell. Delhi, on the other hand, focused on fixing their bowling woes, assembling a formidable attack led by Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav. For these franchises, like others, the auction was less about flashy buys and more about building cohesive, competitive units. Lucknow Super Giants stood out by pairing star acquisitions like Rishabh Pant with budget-friendly players to form a well-rounded squad. Rajasthan Royals, too, despite limited funds, stacked up a versatile lineup through sharp decision-making. The team, with a formidable and versatile bowling lineup including Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, and Tushar Deshpande, alongside trending and trusted batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Shimron Hetymer, looks quite a thing. Gujrat Titans, while spending minimum from its purse, grabbed Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Washington Sundar, Gerald Coetzee, Glenn Phillips and R Sai Kishore. Last year’s blockbuster team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, appears to be coming even more formidable, with inclusion of Ishan Kishan in an already terrifying batting lineup. Md Shami’s entry will fill the gap in bowling, created by ouster of Natrajan and Bhubaneshwar Kumar.

The IPL auction, as always, has left cricket fans with more intrigue than answers. But that’s its magic. It is a celebration of cricket’s unpredictability, its triumphs, and its heartbreaks. Here, the game’s future isn’t just determined by runs and wickets but also by bold gambles and courageous, strategic decisions.