The Indian Premier League 2025 Mega Auction kicks-off on November 24 and November 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia wherein the owners, staff and management of the 10 franchises will gather under one roof to bid for a player/s they want for the upcoming season. (Full Coverage | More Cricket News)
Over the years, we have seen franchises splurging the moolah for the player be it Indian or overseas and which they deem the best for their squad. Last season, Aussie pair of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins were sold for exorbitant prices to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, respectively.
Below, we take a look at the 10 best buys over the years that have been the 'best picks' in our books:
1) Rohit Sharma (From Deccan Chargers To Mumbai Indians)
Current India's ODI and Test captain Rohit Sharma joined the now-defunct Deccan Chargers, under the leadership of Adam Gilchrist. The star opening batter went on to score 1170 runs in three seasons for the Hyderabadi franchise that included an IPL title in the 2009 edition. However, at the 2011 auction, Mumbai Indians secured his services for a sum in excess of Rs 9 crore, and the decision turned out to be a masterstroke. Rohit churned out runs for MI in the IPL and also led them to 5 titles.
2) Rachin Ravindra (Chennai Super Kings)
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have always been synonymous with some shrewd and smart buys in the IPL auction and one that stands out is 2023 ODI World Cup hero for New Zealand, Rachin Ravindra. The Kiwi all-rounder was snapped by CSK for INR 1.8 crore. The three-time champions might have been under the radar off late but Ravindra, who has Indian roots, could be one for the future in the CSK franchise.
3) Jake Fraser-McGurk (Delhi Capitals)
Delhi Capitals' opener Jake Fraser-McGurk took the Indian Premier League 2024 by storm with his blistering batting at the top of the order, that outrightly saw him earn the Australian cap in the T20I format. Fraser-McGurk came in as a replacement for pacer Lungi Ngidi. However, the batter was taken as a replacement for Harry Brook, who did not join DC in that edition. In 9 matches, the Aussie score 330 runs at a strike rate of 234.
4) Shreyas Iyer (Delhi Capitals To Kolkata Knight Riders)
After being a hit and miss with Delhi Capitals franchise, Shahrukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) snapped up the Mumbai-born batter in the 2022 auction. He joined KKR for IN 12.25 cr. Despite missing 2023 season due to injury, Shreyas led the Kolkata franchise to their first title since 2014.
5) Pat Cummins (Sunrisers Hyderabad)
Sunrisers Hyderabad made everyone's heads and eyes roll at the IPL 2024 Mega Auction when they snapped up Australia's Pat Cummins for a whopping INR 18cr. Cummins, who had previously had a stint with KKR, led the Hyderabad franchise to the 2024 final that eventually saw them lose to KKR. However, Sunrisers had a successful season nonetheless and their purchase of Cummins was a smart buy in the 2024 auction.
6) David Warner (Delhi Capitals To Sunrisers Hyderabad)
After spending 2009-13 season in the IPL with the Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad purchased David Warner during the 2014 IPL Auction for INR 5.5crore. The move was a masterstroke as the Aussie batter would go on to create many records with the franchise. In 95 matches, he scored 4,014 runs at an average of 49.56 and a strike rate of 142.59, with two centuries and 40 fifties. His best score was 126. He not only won an IPL title for his side in 2016 as a skipper, but also won the 'Orange Cap' honour for most runs in a season thrice, in 2015, 2017 and 2019, the most by any batter in league history.
7) KL Rahul (Punjab Kings To Lucknow Super Giants)
Indian batter KL Rahul ended his four-year stint with the Punjab Super Kings and moved to a new franchise in Lucknow Super Giants for a whopping INR 17 crore. Moreover, the franchise made him the team skipper for his vast experience. The move yielded favourable results as Rahul scored 616 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 135.38.
8) Hardik Pandya (Mumbai Indians To Gujarat Titans)
Gujarat Titans (GT) made a sensational debut in the 2023 season when they snapped up all-rounder Hardik Pandya from Mumbai Indians for INR 15 crore. Pandya's move turned out to be a masterstroke for the Gujarat franchise as led them to a maiden IPL final title in 2022. In 2023, they ended up as runners-up to Chennai Super Kings. However, in a sensational move, the all-rounder moved back to Mumbai Indians (MI) last season that was not appreciated by fans of the franchise.
9) Shane Watson (Rajasthan Royals To Chennai Super Kings)
In 2016, Rajasthan Royals was suspended from the competition for two years that led most of their players to enter the auction. One of them was Australia's Shane Watson, who was snapped up by MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. The move was a hit as Watson scored runs with the bat during the 2018 season. He represented the Yellow Brigade for four seasons and was instrumental in their title triumph in 2018. He scored a total of 953 runs and took six wickets for CSK.
10) Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
In the 2008 auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru owners purchased an uncapped Virat Kohli for INR 20 lakh and since then, the former Indian captain has not looked back. In his 16th season with RCB, Kohli has not won any IPL title yet but has been a colossus with the bat. In the 2016 season, he scored 973 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 152.03.
