IPL 2024 vs 2025: The big pay cuts and skyrocketing salaries

Resurrected generational talent Rishabh Pant pipped Shreyas Iyer to become the costliest buy in IPLs history with a Rs 27 crore winning bid from Lucknow Super Giants while Venkatesh Iyer was the surprise showstopper as teams expectedly broke the bank for marquee Indian players at the IPL 2025 mega auction on SundayShreyas who captained the Kolkata Knight Riders to the title earlier this year and Delhi Capitals icon Pant reaped the benefits of making themselves available at the auction following differences with their respective teamsVenkatesh was also a part of Shreyas triumphant KKR outfit and the franchise had to pay a whopping Rs 2375 crore to bring him back via the Right to Match card after not retaining himThe bighitting allrounder who has become an integral part of the KKR setup over the years gained from an intense bidding battle between the Kolkata side and Royal Challengers Bengaluru to end with a massive sumShreyas on the other hand was the first one to surpass Mitchell Starc as the IPLs most expensive buy with cashheavy Punjab Kings shelling out Rs 2675 crore for their potential captain before Pant overtook the fellow Indian by attracting Rs 25 lakh more from LSGFormer DC teammates Shreyas and Pant have had to deal with adversity in the past couple of years but have shown remarkable resilience and courage to bounce backPant beat all odds to make a successful comeback to international cricket after a lifethreatening car accident in 2022 while Shreyas put behind his exclusion from the BCCI central contracts list to lead KKR to their third IPL trophy earlier this yearDelhi Capitals used the Right To Match to buy back Pant at Rs 2075 crore but LSG raised the bid to Rs 27 crore and the former decided against matching that amountBoth Shreyas and Pant are expected to lead their new teams in IPL 2025 which will begin on March 14PBKS who went into the auction with the maximum purse Rs 1105 crore had the resources to go after the players they wanted including Shreyas Yuzvendra Chahal Rs 18 crore Arshdeep Singh Rs 18 crore and Marcus Stonis Rs 11 croreWith an increased purse of Rs 120 crore per franchise Rs 30 crore more than the previous auction three years ago bidding records were set to be shattered and they wereRajasthan Royals having retained six players had the least amount to spend Rs 41 crore and they were spectators for the majority of day one Their only buys were injuryprone pacer Jofra Archer Rs 125 crore and Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana Rs 440 croreAlso ReadIPL 2025 Mega Auction Day 2 Battle for big bucks continuesIndia pacer Mohammed Shami who recently made a comeback from injury was bought by SunRisers Hyderabad for Rs 10 croreAmong others Punjab Kings bought back leftarm seamer Arshdeep Singh for Rs 18 crore via RTM while South African speedster Kagiso Rabada who was released by Punjab Kings was bought for Rs 1075 crore by Gujarat TitansArshdeep was the first player to be sold in the mega auction and he ended up fetching the same price that Punjab Kings would have had to pay to retain him as their leading playerComparing IPL 2024 and 2025 Auction pricesShreyas Iyer It was a fierce bidding battle for Shreyas Iyer with both Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals vying for his services Ultimately PBKS emerged victorious securing Iyer for a substantial INR 2675 crore outbidding Delhi who had a smaller purse However the decision has sparked debate with many questioning whether Iyers auction price truly reflects his value Previously Iyer earned INR 1225 crore with Kolkata Knight Riders but he chose to test his worth in the auction Following an impressive 2024 season where he scored 351 runs and captained KKR to their IPL title his price tag has raised eyebrowsRishabh PantPant set a new record as the most expensive player in IPL history when Lucknow Super Giants secured the dynamic Indian wicketkeeperbatter for a staggering INR 27 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah Saudi Arabia This monumental bid surpassed Iyerrsquos record of INR 2675 crore which was set just moments earlier when Punjab Kings acquired Iyer Pantrsquos journey in the IPL began when he joined Delhi Daredevils now Delhi Capitals for INR 19 crore DC retained him for INR 8 crore ahead of the 2018 auction and later increased his valueIn 2021 following Shreyas Iyers injury Pant was appointed DC captain and retained even after Iyerrsquos return Pantrsquos leadership led the franchise to success and by 2023 he was one of the highestpaid players in the league earning INR 16 croreVenkatesh IyerIyer emerged as the third most expensive buy in the IPL 2025 mega auction following Shreyas and Pant when defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders KKR secured the allrounderrsquos services for a staggering INR 2375 crore Iyer had originally joined KKR with a salary of INR 20 lakh and was retained by the franchise for INR 8 crore ahead of the IPL 2022 season In the 2023 season Iyer marked a significant milestone by scoring his maiden IPL century against Mumbai Indians further solidifying his growing stature in the tournamentAlso ReadRohit Sharma revs up in nets to play twoday game in CanberraGlenn Maxwell The Australian allrounder renowned for his dynamic batting saw a significant drop in his value at the IPL 2025 auction as Punjab Kings acquired him for just Rs 42 crore This stark reduction follows a peak in 2021 when Maxwell was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 1425 crore Despite consistent performances since then his recent IPL seasons including taking only six wickets in ten matches last year failed to justify his hefty price tag RCB opted not to exercise their Right to Match opening the door for PBKS and CSK with the former ultimately winning the bidding warMitchell Starc Like his fellow countryman Maxwell pacer Mitchell Starc experienced a significant pay cut in the IPL 2025 auction securing a deal worth Rs 1175 crore with Delhi Capitals down from his previous record price of Rs 2475 crore with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024 Starc has played 41 IPL matches over three seasons claiming 51 wickets at an average of 2229 and an economy rate of 821 In IPL 2024 he took 17 wickets from 14 matches with an average of 2612 and an economy rate of 1061 Despite being one of the worldrsquos premier bowlers Starcrsquos IPL appearances have been limited by injuries and international commitments