IPL 2025 auction likely to be held in Riyadh on November 24, 25

Aditi Singh November 4, 2024

As the mega auction of IPL 2025 is near, all the tension builds up, as the franchises get set to seal that difference-making bid in order to bring back their superstars. A few stand-outs among all those names there are Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, and Ishan Kishan.All are known for their impact within the T20 format and bring with them a lot of batting strength, some leadership quality, and some sharp fielding, thereby making them valuable assets in any franchise’s quest to have a great 2025 season.

However, there have been scheduling issues as the dates of the auctions overlap with India’s first Test against Australia in Perth from November 22 to 26. The rights to both the IPL and the India-Australia Test series belong to Disney Star, and it did not want the two to clash head-on. But with the time difference between India and Australia, if the auction is held in the afternoon (IST), it would then not coincide with the telecast of the match.

While a few franchises have already announced their retentions, these five players are sure to be the focal point of a high-stakes bidding war. Teams are planning their best within their budget, and these star players are sure to fetch some of the highest prices. Pant’s explosive wicketkeeping-batsman role, Iyer’s dynamic leadership potential, and Rahul’s consistency with the bat are especially attractive features in a fast-paced tournament like the IPL.

The BCCI officials have already started making preliminary visits to Saudi Arabia for assessing possible venues. The second group of the delegation is to visit the gulf nation on Monday, finalizing all the details. Initially, Jeddah was being considered; however, the capital Riyadh would be hosting the two-day auction. The BCCI also tried to find other international destinations such as Dubai, Singapore, and even Vienna, but Saudi Arabia appears to have been picked as the perfect venue.

In the wake of this decision outside India, IPL franchises have been asking the BCCI to decide on the venue and date as soon as possible, so that there is ample time for travel and all other logistical arrangements. Retention deadline being October 31, teams will concentrate on finalizing the lists of players before switching to the auction.