Jeddah: As the IPL 2025 Auction moved onto its culmination, all franchises looked to give final touches to their squad. Big names like Moeen Ali and Devdutt Padikkal were some of the biggest names sold at the back end of the event at the Abady Al Johar Arena on Monday.
Kolkata Knight Riders dominated proceedings at the end of the day as they rounded their squad with some solid acquisitions. England veteran Moeen Ali’s reintroduction saw KKR buying him at his base price of Rs 2 crore. Mumbai batter Ajinkya Rahane, who has had a well-regarded career with the national team, was reintroduced and bought at his base price of Rs 2 crore by the defending IPL champions.
One of the fastest bowlers in India, Umran Malik, was bought for his price of Rs 75 lakh by the Kolkata-based side. Left-arm spinner Anukul Roy and Bengaluru-born wicketkeeper batter Lunith Sisodia were bought by KKR for Rs 40 lakh and Rs 30 lakh, respectively.
India batter Devdutt Padikkal, who is currently with the national team in Australia, went unsold in the earlier rounds but was available to buy for his base price of Rs 2 crore and it was Royal Challengers Bengaluru who ended up bringing him back to the Chinnaswamy. The left-handed opener rose to prominence with RCB in 2020 before racking 411 runs in the 2021 season following which he was released and joined Rajasthan Royals before being traded to Lucknow Super Giants in 2024.
New Zealand all-rounder Glenn Philips re-entered the auction at his base price of Rs 2 crore and despite going unsold earlier, it was Gujarat Titans who secured his services further solidifying their team strength.
Chennai acquired local-talent C Andre Siddarth for his base price of Rs 30 lakh. The 18-year-old Tamil Nadu batter has recently earned a call-up to the India Under-19 squad for the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE.
David Warner, Piyush Chawla, Shardul Thakur, Mayank Agarwal, Arjun Tendulkar and Dewald Brevis were some of the prominent names that went unsold.
(IANS)
