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IPL: 10 auction strategies used by franchises to get the players they wanted
Summary
While some IPL teams went for marquee names, others focused on value investments—every franchise had its own algorithm
The Indian Premier League (IPL) triennial auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 24-25 November had as much game strategy as you see on the cricket field. When the dust settled, 10 teams emerged with strengths as well as weaknesses, setting up a well-contested IPL 2025. Here’s a look at each franchise’s algorithm for winning.
Ambani plays jacks
After a barren four years and finishing last in IPL 2024, Mumbai Indians (MI) wanted to strengthen the bowling around Jasprit Bumrah. They brought back Kiwi left-arm swinger Trent Boult, who was in their 2020 winning side. But what excited fans was the acquisition of 18-year-old Afghan spinner Allah Ghazanfar for ₹4.8 crore.
MI’s batting coup was English top-order striker Will Jacks, who hit a 41-ball century for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) earlier this year. How much that meant became apparent when a beaming MI owner, Akash Ambani, shook hands with RCB CEO Prathmesh Mishra. RCB did not exercise the right-to-match (RTM) option, allowing MI to get Jacks for ₹5.25 crore. Earlier, MI did not use the RTM for late order hitter Tim David, who went to RCB for ₹3 crore.
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Ponting’s huge gamble
The new Punjab Kings (PBKS) coach, Ricky Ponting, who parted ways with Delhi Capitals (DC), had the biggest purse for the auction, after retaining only two uncapped players. It was widely expected he would use it to get his DC mate, Rishabh Pant. Instead, he outbid DC to buy another skipper he had groomed, Shreyas Iyer, for a whopping ₹26.75 crore.
Iyer was in demand after leading Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the 2024 title. Perhaps Ponting sees him as a captain who can execute his strategy better than Pant.
Nehra’s calculated bets
Gujarat Titans (GT) got England’s T20 captain Jos Buttler for ₹15.75 crore, which is a bargain for a proven match-winner. He joins Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan in a solid top order. But the middle order looks weaker with the exit of David Miller.
GT built an enviable pace unit with Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna, who will enjoy bowling on the Ahmedabad wicket. Interestingly, they preferred the younger Siraj and Krishna to Mohammed Shami, whom they could have got around the same price with an RTM. Time will tell if head coach Ashish Nehra got it right or gave up on Shami too early. But GT’s spin trio of Rashid Khan, Washington Sundar, and Sai Kishore is as good as it gets.
Langer goes all in for Pant
After parting ways with K.L. Rahul, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) went all in for Rishabh Pant, splurging ₹27 crore. Pant joins another wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran, who was retained for ₹21 crore. That left LSG short on ammo, but they got David Miller for ₹7.5 crore. With so much power in the middle order, will Pant now open the innings with his former DC mate, Mitchell Marsh? LSG also have a formidable pace battery in Mayank Yadav, Shamar Joseph, Avesh Khan, and Mohsin Khan. Look out for fireworks with both bat and ball from LSG.
Rahul’s new innings
A strike rate below 140 for six seasons devalued K.L. Rahul. But DC, having failed to retain Pant or buy Iyer, went for him as their skipper for ₹14 crore. It looks great on paper, given Rahul’s stroke-making ability, but DC’s new coaches, Hemang Badani and Venugopal Rao, are hoping he will resurrect his 2018 avatar of striking at nearly 160 at an average of 55.
Opening partner Jake Fraser-McGurk, who had a strike rate of 234 last season, may take the pressure off Rahul. And Rahul’s relatively low price gave DC the opportunity to build a strong team, with Mitchell Starc spearheading the attack.
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CSK spin a web
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) got their Kiwi batsmen Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra back at a fraction of what it would have cost to retain them. So the top order will have a familiar look.
CSK have always looked to exploit spin at Chepauk. This time they brought Ravichandran Ashwin back home after 10 years to join Ravindra Jadeja. Then they jumped to ₹10 crore from ₹6 crore after an RTM call for the exciting Afghan left-arm leg-spinner, Noor Ahmad. CSK will be hard to beat at home.
RCB’s strange swap
After buying KKR’s hard-hitting opener Phil Salt, RCB had the chance to add another English striker to the top order—Will Jacks, who galvanised their campaign midway through the last season. But they chose not to use the RTM card, and got MI’s late-order hitter Tim David instead. David is yet to score a 50 in four IPL seasons, whereas Jacks made a 41-ball century in IPL 2024. Kohli and Salt followed by Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, and David may still get some tall scores at the batting paradise in Chinnaswamy stadium. But one suspects RCB have again shot themselves in the foot.
Dravid’s teen surprise
With five of their six retentions being gun batsmen, Rajasthan Royals (RR) were hunting for bowlers. They got back Jofra Archer, who took 20 wickets for them at an economy rate of 6.5 in 2020 before injuries sidelined him. They also bought Sri Lankan spin twins Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana.
Head coach Rahul Dravid captured everyone’s imagination by buying batting prodigy Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 13, for ₹1.1 crore. The Bihar boy hit a 58-ball ton in an under-19 game against Australia recently. He couldn’t have asked for a better mentor than Dravid.
‘Runrisers’ stick to their guns
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) added Ishan Kishan to their line of hard-hitters. Then they brought in Mohammed Shami to share the new ball with skipper Pat Cummins. Along with the leg-spin duo of Rahul Chahar and Adam Zampa, SRH have the ammo to make another bid for the title after losing the 2024 final to KKR.
Will another Iyer lead KKR?
Unable to retain Shreyas Iyer, defending champions KKR spent ₹23.75 crore to buy back Venkatesh Iyer. It appears he will lead them next season. Venkatesh had a strike rate of 159 last season at an average of 46, but he will be the most inexperienced IPL captain if he’s given the mantle. Head coach Chandrakant Pandit has a riddle to solve.
Sumit Chakraberty is a writer based in Bengaluru.
