Venkatesh Iyer, the player for big occasions, has scripted his return to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), with the franchise acquiring his services for a massive INR 23.75 crore. KKR were always after him, but it was RCB who were giving the three-time champs a hard time.
With this, it appears like Venky Iyer will lead the squad in the upcoming season.
Along with this, it was a lucrative return for Ravichandran Ashwin, with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) securing him for a record INR 9.75 crore, the highest bid he has ever received at an IPL auction. His last stint with CSK was in the 2015 IPL season.
CSK became incredibly busy, as they also signed Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, and Rachin Ravindra.
Furthermore, Gujarat Titans (GT) commenced the evening with the third-largest purse of INR 73 crore and selected Mohammed Siraj from the second batch of marquee players for INR 12.25 crore.
One of the most unexpected events at the IPL 2022 mega auction was Yuzvendra Chahal‘s acquisition to Rajasthan Royals (RR) for under INR 6.50 crore. This time, nevertheless, Chahal drew a lot more attention, with GT, CSK, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all attempting to sign him. However, Punjab Kings (PBKS) outbid them all for Chahal, paying INR 18 crore.
In an exciting turn of events, CSK won the bidding war for talented Afghan spinner Noor Ahmad with a bid of INR 5 crore, but GT exercised their RTM option. CSK ultimately raised their bid to INR 10 crore, which GT declined. CSK also secured Khaleel Ahmed for INR 4.8 crore.
The IPL 2025 auction saw a fierce battle between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) for Trent Boult. RR dropped out at INR 12.5 crore, allowing the Paltans to bring back Boult, a key member of their successful 2019-2020 squads. Meanwhile, RR secured Jofra Archer for INR 12.5 crore.
T Natarajan was sold to DC for INR 10.75 crore, while KKR acquired Anrich Nortje for INR 6.5 crore. Avesh Khan moved to LSG, and Josh Hazlewood was picked up by RCB for INR 12.5 crore.