Ravichandran Ashwin, the well-known off-spinner from India, recently made waves by holding a mock auction for himself before the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. The actual mega auction is set to take place on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Ashwin decided to create some buzz by hosting this fun event on his YouTube channel.
During the mock auction, several cricket enthusiasts and analysts joined in to bid on notable players, including KL Rahul, Jos Buttler, David Warner, Trent Boult, David Miller, Quinton de Kock, and even Ashwin himself. A highlight of the event was when KL Rahul sparked a bidding war between two teams, Delhi and Kolkata, with bids exceeding 15 crore rupees.
In his YouTube video, Ashwin proudly declared that he was making history as the first person to auction himself in Indian television. He expressed his excitement about the IPL and shared how he invited many cricket fans and analysts to participate. “It was extremely entertaining! The participants picked some really strong teams,” he said.
As excitement builds for the real auction, a total of 1,574 players have signed up, with 1,165 from India and 409 from abroad. Each of the ten franchises has the chance to create a squad of 25 players, leaving 204 slots open for new players. Punjab Kings currently has the highest budget with 110.5 crore rupees, followed by Royal Challengers Bangalore with 83 crore rupees.
On the other end of the spectrum, Rajasthan Royals has the smallest budget at 41 crore rupees, followed closely by Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians, both with 45 crore rupees. Star players like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, James Anderson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jofra Archer, and Kagiso Rabada will be among those up for bid, with franchises gearing up for a fierce competition to secure their services.
