In this article we’ll rate the auction performances of all the teams and analyze which franchise managed to build the best squad for IPL 2025.
The IPL 2025 auction saw some exciting moves and unexpected outcomes, with franchises bolstering their squads for the upcoming season.
One of the most significant highlights was Rishabh Pant becoming the most expensive player in IPL history, as Lucknow Super Giants secured him for a massive INR 27 crore. Meanwhile, there were some surprises, as big names like David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, and Prithvi Shaw went unsold.
Also Read: Punjab Kings Are in a ‘Dicey’ Situation Heading Into IPL 2025: Aakash Chopra
In this article we’ll rate the auction performances of all the teams and analyze which franchise managed to build the best squad for IPL 2025.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) made key acquisitions in the IPL 2025 auction after retaining stars like MS Dhoni, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and Matheesha Pathirana. They added twenty new players, with Ravichandran Ashwin’s return for INR 9.75 crores and Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad being their biggest signings at INR 10 crores, completing their squad of 25 players.
CSK boasts a strong top order, with Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra, and deep batting depth. Their spin attack, featuring Ashwin, Jadeja, and Noor Ahmad, is formidable. However, concerns linger over MS Dhoni’s role as a finisher, given his age, and the inconsistent form of Deepak Hooda and Vijay Shankar.
CSK Probable Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Sam Curran, Ravichandran Ashwin, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.
Mumbai Indians, after finishing last in the previous season, focused on a balance of experienced leaders and emerging talents. They retained their key players, including Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, while entering the IPL 2025 auction with a limited budget. Despite their financial constraints, they secured valuable additions, such as English all-rounder Will Jacks, New Zealand pacer Trent Boult, and Indian pacer Deepak Chahar.
MI’s strengths lie in a promising opening combination with Rohit Sharma and Robin Minz, along with power-hitters like Naman Dhir and Jacks. Their pace attack, spearheaded by Bumrah, is formidable. However, concerns remain about the lack of backup options and relatively untested overseas talents. The biggest question for MI is whether Hardik Pandya can bounce back from a difficult season and lead the team to success in IPL 2025.
MI Probable Playing XI: Rohit Sharma, Robin Minz (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Will Jacks, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Allah Ghazanfar, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) retained key players like Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal, and made significant additions during the IPL 2025 mega auction. They secured 19 new players, bringing their squad to 22. Notable signings included Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jitesh Sharma, and Liam Livingstone. These players added valuable depth and strength across various departments.
RCB’s strengths include a strong opening pair with Kohli and Salt, a solid new-ball attack with Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and reliable spin all-rounders like Livingstone and Krunal Pandya.
However, they may struggle with depth in the No. 3 batting position and death bowling, potentially relying on impact players like Rasikh Dar or Nuwan Thushara. Regarding captaincy, Virat Kohli, with his experience, is the likely candidate to lead the team, with Rajat Patidar potentially serving as his deputy.
RCB Probable Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
Kolkata Knight Riders made smart retentions, keeping key players like Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh. They further strengthened their squad in the IPL 2025 auction by adding 15 players. Their biggest purchases included Venkatesh Iyer and Anrich Nortje, with other players being acquired at bargain prices.
KKR boasts a solid batting lineup with depth and a strong spin attack with Narine and Chakravarthy. They also have good backups for key players like de Kock and Russell. However, concerns include Nortje’s recent form, lack of Indian pace bowling backups, and the form of Manish Pandey and Ajinkya Rahane. Rinku Singh or Venkatesh Iyer are likely candidates for the captaincy, with both players having high potential and a long association with the franchise.
KKR Probable Playing XI: Sunil Narine, Quinton de Kock (wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakravarthy, Vaibhav Arora.
Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) made a splash in the IPL 2025 auction by acquiring Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crores, alongside retaining key players like Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, and Ayush Badoni. However, their auction strategy left some gaps, with few quality additions, making it difficult to compete with top teams.
LSG have a solid mix of batsmen and pace-hitters but lacks a settled XI and has injury-prone players. Success will rely on individual performances. With Pant’s high price tag, he’s likely to be named captain, bringing valuable leadership experience from his time with Delhi Capitals.
LSG Probable Playing XI: Rishabh Pant (wk), Yuvraj Chaudhary, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, David Miller, Ayush Badoni, Shahbaz Ahmed, Ravi Bishnoi, Shamar Joseph, Mohsin Khan, Mayank Yadav.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) made significant moves during the IPL 2025 auction after retaining only Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh. They acquired 23 players, building a well-rounded squad of 25. Their biggest purchase was Shreyas Iyer, who joined after intense bidding, followed by Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Marcus Stoinis. PBKS also added Marco Jansen to strengthen their pace attack, making a splash on both the Indian and overseas fronts.
Strong points for PBKS include their balance of pace and spin-hitters, with quality Indian pacer Arshdeep and overseas all-rounder Jansen. Their spin department is equally strong with Chahal and Brar. However, the lack of left-handed batters in the top seven and Maxwell’s potential struggle at No. 6 against hard lengths are concerns. Shreyas Iyer, with his leadership experience at DC and KKR, is the likely candidate for PBKS captaincy in IPL 2025.
PBKS Probable Playing XI: Marcus Stoinis, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Delhi Capitals (DC) were once again active during the IPL 2025 auction, making smart moves to strengthen their squad. Retaining key players like Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, and Abhishek Porel, DC built a solid core and were strategic with their bids. Their biggest acquisitions included KL Rahul and Mitchell Starc, while they also brought back players like Jake Fraser-McGurk, Harry Brook, and Mukesh Kumar. DC ensured they addressed key areas while maintaining balance in their squad.
DC’s strengths include a solid batting lineup with pace-hitters at the top and quality spinners in the middle. They also have depth in their batting and variety in their spin department, as well as reliable bowlers for both powerplay and death overs. However, they face challenges with only one left-handed batter in the top six and a lack of a quality enforcer in the middle overs. KL Rahul, with his leadership experience, is the likely candidate to captain DC in IPL 2025, with Axar Patel serving as his deputy.
DC Probable Playing XI: Jake Fraser-McGurk, KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Harry Brook, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) went into the IPL 2025 auction with a limited budget but made strategic moves to strengthen their squad. Retaining key players like Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and Sandeep Sharma, RR focused on enhancing their bowling attack. They brought back Jofra Archer and added Sri Lankan spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga to complement their already explosive batting lineup.
RR’s strengths include a powerful top-order batting lineup, a revamped spin attack, and a promising crop of young Indian fast bowlers. However, their squad lacks depth in batting and game-changing all-rounders. With Archer’s injury history a concern, RR could face challenges in maintaining a balanced side, especially with only 20 players selected in the auction, leaving two overseas slots open.
RR Probable Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.
Gujarat Titans made strong moves during the IPL 2025 auction after retaining core players like Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, and Rahul Tewatia. They strengthened their squad by adding top signings such as Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Prasidh Krishna, completing a well-rounded 22-player squad by the end of Day 2 of the auction.
Gujarat’s key strengths include a powerful pace attack with Rabada and Siraj, a strong spin department led by Rashid Khan, and a solid opening pair of Gill and Buttler. Their top order also benefits from a mix of right-handed and left-handed batters. However, their domestic batting depth is a concern, and the overseas combination remains flexible, with the fourth overseas spot likely to be filled by an experienced middle-order player to balance the lineup.
GT Probable Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, Sai Sudharsan, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) made strategic moves during the IPL 2025 auction after retaining key players like Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Nitish Kumar Reddy. They secured specific targets such as Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Shami, while also making some smart acquisitions to cover all areas of their squad.
SRH boasts one of the most explosive batting lineups in the competition, with strong pace-hitters at the top and spin-hitters in the middle. They also have depth in the batting and quality pacers for every phase, including death overs, along with top-class wrist-spinner Adam Zampa. However, their main concerns are the vulnerability of Kishan and Reddy against high pace and the absence of a quality finger spinner. While they have two wrist spinners, they might face a dilemma in choosing between them and opting for a specialist seamer to balance their attack.
SRH Probable Playing XI: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Adam Zampa.
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