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.

De facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has backed extravagant sports investments -- set to culminate in Saudi Arabia hosting the football World Cup in 2034 -- to diversify its oil-rich economy.

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 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.

USA's Saurabh Netravalkar, England's Jofra Archer and uncapped Indian Hardik Tamore are the three players who have been added in the list of 574 names in IPL 2025 mega auction list.