JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — The Indian Premier League (IPL) stands out as the most prestigious and financially rewarding domestic Twenty20 cricket league globally.
Stadiums are filled to capacity, and billions of fans tune in to watch games. Team proprietors are often public figures, and players enjoy a level of fame akin to rock stars during the tournament season from March to May.
Those skilled in batting, bowling, or both are eager to participate in this iconic league.
Franchises assemble their teams via an auction process. This Sunday saw Rishabh Pant, a notable Indian wicketkeeper-batsman, make history as the priciest acquisition in IPL’s 16-year existence, with the Lucknow Super Giants securing him for $3.2 million.
This auction price is indicative of the player’s salary. The current auction, ahead of the 2025 season, is being conducted over two days in Saudi Arabia, marking the kingdom’s foray into cricket as part of its expanding sports ambitions.
The IPL revolutionized cricket with the introduction of the Twenty20 format, created by New Zealand cricketer Martin Crowe to combat dwindling audience numbers.
This condensed form of the game is energetic, easily digestible for television, and typically wraps up in about three and a half hours or less. After India triumphed in the first-ever T20 World Cup in 2007, cricket officials in India established a domestic T20 league in 2008, featuring teams that represent various states and cities.
The IPL auction occurs annually, attracting some of the brightest talents in cricket worldwide. Approximately 1,600 players entered this year’s auction, but the list has been narrowed down to 577 vying for 204 available spots, including 70 designated for international players.
Each team is allotted a budget of $14.3 million to recruit a squad of 18 players, with a maximum limit of 25.
While there can be a maximum of eight foreign players on each team, at least 17 must be Indian. In the starting lineup, teams are restricted to four international players.
Players set their starting bid, and the highest bidder secures their services, determining their salary. Every three years, a mega auction takes place where teams can retain only six players, necessitating a major rebuild for the upcoming seasons. This year, the auction is classified as a mega auction.
In this year’s auction, Rishabh Pant emerged as the headline acquisition. Having debuted for India at 19 during the T20 format, he had previously spent his entire career with the Delhi Capitals, including serving as captain this year. However, Delhi did not match the substantial offer from Lucknow.
Shortly before this, the Punjab Kings made headlines by spending a remarkable $3.18 million on batter Shreyas Iyer, who had led the Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title earlier this year.
Previously, the highest bid had been $2.9 million, paid by Kolkata for Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc last year. Nevertheless, Starc was bought by Delhi Capitals this Sunday for $1.4 million, as Kolkata opted to allocate $2.8 million to retain Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer.
The Gujarat Titans also made a splash by acquiring England’s captain Jos Buttler for $1.88 million after he was not retained by the Rajasthan Royals, along with South African fast bowler Kagiso Rabada for $1.28 million.
Fast bowlers saw significant demand on the auction’s second day, with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru spending $1.26 million to secure former Indian international Bhuvneshwar Kumar, whose base price was set at $24,000. Bengaluru had also acquired Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood for $1.49 million on the first day of the auction.
In a notable development, 13-year-old top-order batter Vaibhav Suryavanshi made history as the youngest player to secure an IPL contract, being picked up by the Rajasthan Royals for $130,000 after scoring a century in a match for India’s Under-19 team against Australia last month.
Conversely, the renowned James Anderson, England’s all-time leading wicket-taker in Tests, was not picked, as he has not featured in a T20 international for over 15 years but still believes he can contribute to the format.
The financial impetus behind the IPL is substantial. In 2022, a deal between U.S. media conglomerate Walt Disney and India’s Reliance Industries resulted in a staggering $6 billion agreement for IPL broadcasting and streaming rights for the period between 2023 and 2027, solidifying the league’s status as one of the most lucrative globally.
Official broadcaster Disney Star Sports reported a remarkable audience of 546 million viewers across 67 of the league’s 74 matches, breaking viewership records along the way. The inaugural match drew a record 168 million TV viewers.
Additionally, Viacom18, owned by Reliance, disclosed that 620 million viewers streamed the entire 2024 season via JioCinema, marking a 38% increase over the previous year, with the opening match alone attracting 111 million views—a boost of 51%.
Looking ahead, the 2025 IPL season is set to commence on March 14, with the final scheduled for May 25. Although the complete match schedule has yet to be unveiled, fans can anticipate matches almost daily, with some instances featuring two games in a single day.