Sun Nov 24 11:30:00 UTC 2024: **IPL 2025 Mega Auction Shatters Records: Pant and Iyer Fetch Over 50 Crores**

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – The IPL 2025 mega auction exploded into action on November 24th, with a flurry of record-breaking bids. In the first day alone, over ₹120 crores were spent on seven players, with Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer alone commanding a combined ₹53.75 crores.

The Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) secured Pant for a staggering ₹27 crores, making him the most expensive player in IPL history. This eclipsed the previous record, set just moments earlier by Shreyas Iyer, who was bought by Punjab Kings for ₹26.75 crores. Both players surpassed Mitchell Starc’s previous record of ₹24.75 crores (set in 2023).

Other notable purchases included Arshdeep Singh (Punjab Kings, ₹18 crores), Kagiso Rabada (Gujarat Titans, ₹10.75 crores), Jos Buttler (Gujarat Titans, ₹15.75 crores), Mitchell Starc (Delhi Capitals, ₹11.75 crores), and Mohammed Shami (Sunrisers Hyderabad, ₹10 crores).

Pant’s acquisition was particularly dramatic. After Delhi Capitals attempted to retain him using the Right to Match (RTM) card at ₹20.75 crores, LSG outbid them, ultimately securing the wicketkeeper-batsman for ₹27 crores. A fierce bidding war between LSG and Royal Challengers Bangalore, later joined by Sunrisers Hyderabad, fueled the price surge.

The two-day auction continues in Jeddah on November 25th, with high expectations for further record-breaking bids.

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