Among the standout names are Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul, part of the 12 marquee players. These three captains were released by their respective franchises ahead of the retention deadline.

A total of 574 players are up for grabs with Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, England veteran James Anderson and New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra among the top names in contention at the two-day auction in Jeddah.

A total of 12 marquee players, including Indian stars like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have created a lot of buzz within the cricket fraternity.

The Indian Premier League opens its "mega-auction" later Sunday in Saudi Arabia with teams primed to splash out millions of dollars on world-class cricketers for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

IPL 2025 Mega Auction Day 1 saw Rishabh Pant become the most expensive player ever in IPL, acquired by Lucknow Super Giants for ₹27 crore. Shreyas Iyer also broke records with a ₹24.75 crore deal with Punjab Kings.

The IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah saw some astonishing bidding wars as the franchises broke banks over players like Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer. Teams are trying to assemble their squad for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League.