IPL 2025 Auction: Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Santner are among the Top five bargain buys at the auction. Top five steal buys at IPL 2025 Auction.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) auction is known for its unpredictability and dynamic nature. Much of the outcome hinges on factors like player demand, supply, and the timing of a player's call-up during the auction. As a result, it's not unusual for a player who is expected to fetch a hefty price to end up with a lacklustre bid.
The IPL 2025 mega auction was no different, with several players snapped at lower prices than anticipated. Here are the deals we feel were absolute bargains for their respective franchises, owing to the skill set they possess.
Faf du Plessis, Delhi Capitals (DC), 2 crore
Faf du Plessis, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper for the three previous editions, was expected to garner interest from a few sides, including the Challengers themselves. However, despite possessing a great record with the bat in the IPL and proven leadership, only one franchise wanted him in their team, the Delhi Capitals (DC).
DC, who will likely be led by another of their recent acquisitions, KL Rahul, will have a wealth of experience to bank on at the top of the order with the addition of du Plessis. The Capitals will look at the veteran right-hander as a like-to-like replacement for David Warner. Moreover, they got him for a mere 2 crore INR at the auctions. This is certainly a steal, given that the 40-year-old was valued at 7 crores while playing for the Challengers and has 4571 runs under his belt.
Tim David, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), 3 crore
Tim David, the hard-hitting middle-order batter, was expected to be amidst a bidding war among the franchises in the IPL 2025 auction. However, to everyone’s surprise, David only found interest in two franchises, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
After a couple of back-and-forth bidding between the teams, David returned to RCB, where his IPL journey began in 2021. The Challengers snapped him up at a mere 3 crore INR, a significant reduction from his salary of 8.25 crore INR last season while with the Mumbai Indians (MI).
Read More: TATA IPL 2025 Auction Live Updates: Players Sold, Unsold, Purse Remaining & Full Team Details
Aiden Markram, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), 2 crore
Another overseas player bought at a bargain in the auction was the current South Africa T20 skipper, Aiden Markram. The right-hander brings a lot to a side like LSG, as he could fit in their middle order, give them leadership options, and bowl off-spin if required.
Getting a multi-utility player like Aiden Markram for a base price of a mere 2 crore INR is an absolute steal, and Lucknow should feel lucky that none of the other franchises showed interest in this talented player.
Mitchell Santner, Mumbai Indians (MI), 2 crore
Yet another utility player who found interest from only one franchise was Mitchell Santner. The franchise that gave him said interest were MI. The Kiwi all-rounder, whose name came at the fag end of auctions, was expected to be picked by his former franchise, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), but ended up being on the roster of their arch-rivals instead.
Though a part of CSK since 2018, Santner has only featured in 18 games, which might have reduced his IPL stocks. But looking at his all-round skills, Santner’s buy at his base price of 2 crore INR is still a steal for the five-time champions.
Quinton de Kock, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), 3.60 crores
For a player who has a great deal of experience playing IPL and other T20 leagues across the globe, the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) purchase of Quinton de Kock seems like a bargain. The former South Africa skipper represented LSG at a price tag of 6.75 crore but found interest only in MI apart from KKR in the auction. The Keeper-batter will now play a key part in KKR’s top order.
The other players who were acquired by the respective franchise at less than a premium are KL Rahul by DC for 14 crore INR, Romario Shepherd for 3 crore INR by RCB, Sam Curran for 2.60 crore INR back to CSK, and Washington Sundar for 3.20 crore INR by Gujarat Titans (GT).
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