3 players DC had the penultimate bid for at IPL 2025 Auction who would have fit the team well ft. Shreyas Iyer
The Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction had a fair share of drama and action and at the end of it, all 10 franchises managed to buy some top-class names for record prices. Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer became the two most expensive players in the auction history after being bought for Rs 27 and Rs 26.75 crores, respectively.
One of the perennial underachievers of the tournament, the Delhi Capitals (DC) also managed to buy several players of their choice but had to leave out some of the big names who were earlier part of the franchise. Unfortunately, they couldn't buy Pant who had served the franchise since his debut.
The Capitals were left handicapped after the Lucknow Supergiants directly bid Rs 27 crores for Pant after DC had retained him for Rs 20.75 crores via RTM. Barring Pant, Delhi raised the paddle for several other players and had the penultimate bid for as many as seven players.
Now let us have a look at three players DC had the penultimate bid for at 2025 IPL auction who would have fit the team well.
#1 Shreyas Iyer
The second most expensive player in the history of IPL just after Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer will feature for the Punjab Kings in the upcoming IPL after being snapped up for a whopping Rs 26.75 crores.
Iyer who led the Kolkata Knight Riders to their third title win last year is expected to take up the leadership role for Punjab and try and help them win their first IPL title. There was a fierce bidding war between the Punjab Kings and the Delhi Capitals for Shreyas.
The paddle was initially raised by the Knight Riders but their last bid was Rs 9.75 crores and from there on it was a fierce battle between Punjab and Delhi. Neither of the team was ready to let go of his services but the Capitals had to eventually withdraw their bid after Rs 26.50 crores.
Iyer will have a significant role to play for the Punjab Kings in the upcoming IPL. He will try to use his prior experience to stage a turnaround for the franchise. Iyer has been in impressive form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and smashed a 57-ball 130 against Goa very recently.
#2 Nehal Wadhera
An exciting young talent, Nehal Wadhera was released by the five-time champions Mumbai Indians ahead of the 2025 auction and eventually snapped up by the Punjab Kings for INR 4.20 crores. Yet again, the Delhi Capitals had the penultimate bid for Wadhera at INR 4 crores but was unable to acquire his services.
The Chennai Super Kings raised the paddle from his base price of INR 30 lakhs and went on till INR 2.40 crores. The Punjab Kings had a clear inclination of buying the swashbuckling left-hander and kept going.
The Gujarat Titans came into the picture but their last bid was at INR 3.60 crores. From nowhere, the Delhi Capitals raised the penultimate bid for 4 crores, which was their only bid for the young talent. He will be hoping to make a significant impact for PBKS in the upcoming season.
#3 Vaibhav Arora
Vaibhav Arora, 26, played an integral part in KKR’s triumphant campaign in 2024. The defending champions managed to buy him back for INR 1.80 crores, which looks like a steal given the variety he will add to the bowling attack.
The Delhi Capitals was yet again the penultimate bidder for the fast bowler and he would have fitted in the team perfectly. Vaibhav has the ability to swing the ball both ways with the new ball and then has a wide range of slower deliveries up his sleeve.
The Rajasthan Royals and the Knight Riders were in the fray from the beginning and again it was the Capitals who raised the paddle from nowhere. Their only bid was at INR 1.70 crores before KKR managed to buy him for INR 1.80 crores.