At the IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, new records were set. Before this, the record for the highest bid was held by KKR, which bought Mitchell Starc for INR 24.75 crore in the IPL 2024 auction.

This record was broken twice in the IPL 2025 auction, when PBKS bought Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 crore and Rishabh Pant was bought by LSG for INR 27 crore.

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Teams made strategic purchases during the auction: some players were bought for less than expected, while others opted for higher prices.

However, the franchises also made some mistakes during the two-day event. Let’s look at the 5 biggest mistakes teams made in the IPL 2025 auction.

RCB’s decision not to use RTM on Will Jacks

One of the most surprising moments of the IPL 2025 auction was RCB’s decision not to use its Right to Match (RTM) card on Will Jacks. Jacks had been an important player for RCB the previous season, playing a key role in their playoff qualification. The bidding war for Jacks was between MI and PBKS, with MI eventually winning the battle with a final bid of INR 5.25 crore.

Given Jacks’ significant contributions to RCB last season, many expected him to exercise his RTM. While MI could have increased the bid further had RCB used their RTM, it is unlikely that the bid would have been higher than what RCB could match. RCB’s decision not to use RTM was surprising, especially considering Jacks’ impact in the previous season.

DC lineup lacks an all-rounder apart from Axar Patel

Ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, Delhi Capitals retained four players, including Axar Patel, their key all-rounder. During the two days of auction, DC made a total of 19 acquisitions, completing its roster with 23 players. However, despite filling several positions, they did not sign any other reliable all-rounder to complement Axar Patel.

While the impact player rule allows teams some flexibility, DC will still rely heavily on Axar as their sole all-rounder. This leaves them vulnerable as they will have to rely entirely on the impact player rule to balance their team, which could pose challenges throughout the season.

KKR acquires Venkatesh Iyer for INR 23.75 crore

Venkatesh Iyer, who was released by KKR ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, was brought back by the franchise for a hefty amount of INR 23.75 crore. The team showed a clear intent to acquire him, but the high price limited their ability to pursue other potential targets, including Phil Salt. While Iyer made a strong impact last season, especially in the playoffs, his high price tag raised questions.

Although KKR has built a strong team for IPL 2025, securing Iyer at a lower cost would have given them more flexibility to target other big names. This would have allowed the franchise to further strengthen its roster while maintaining a balanced budget.

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RCB did not bid for marquee players despite second highest budget

RCB, despite having the second-highest budget and retaining only three players ahead of the IPL 2025 auction, surprised everyone by going silent during the star players’ sets. They only bought Liam Livingstone from the star players, but did not engage in bidding wars for big names, which was unexpected considering their budget.

Although RCB filled their team with good players, it was surprising that they did not go for big names like Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul or Mitchell Starc. With their huge budget, they could have added at least one of these star players to strengthen their team.

PBKS acquires Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 crore

PBKS’s acquisition of Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 crore raised eyebrows, given his performance in the T20. While Iyer excels in the 50-over format, his T20 strike rate does not match that of the explosive players usually valued at auctions.

PBKS may have overpaid for Iyer, especially if they were looking for a game-changing T20 performer. His price seems high for a player whose T20 contributions do not justify such an investment.

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