3 players LSG had the penultimate bid for in IPL 2025 Auction who'd have fit the team well ft. Jos Buttler
The 2025 Indian Premier League mega auction ended on a high, with the record of the most expensive player bought by any franchise in the tournament’s history being broken again. It was Rishabh Pant who grabbed all eyeballs when Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) paid a whopping ₹27 crore to seal the deal.
While the Lucknow-based franchise spent big bucks on the Indian wicketkeeper-batter, they missed out on several high-profile players, who could have fit well in their side. LSG bid for many big names - top batters and bowlers alike - but were outbid by some or the other franchise in their quest to build the perfect team.
On that note, let’s look at three players LSG had the penultimate bid for in IPL 2025 Auction who'd have fit the team well:
#3 Anrich Nortje
LSG filled their squad with six overseas players, getting only one pacer in Shamar Joseph. While they retained Mayank Yadav, who performed well in the previous edition, the franchise doesn’t have a proper replacement for the injury-prone Indian.
Mayank Yadav missed several games owing to injury, and if that continues to happen this season, then the team won’t have a like-for-like backup. While Mitchell Marsh is an option, the Aussie’s fitness must be monitored time and again.
Nortje, who represented the Delhi Capitals previously, will now represent Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the IPL 2025. LSG and KKR were the only two teams who bid for the South African pacer, with the latter eventually bagging him for ₹6.50 crore.
#2 Sam Curran
English all-rounder Sam Curran was another pace option at LSG’s disposal, but they opted not to bid much for him at the auction. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opened the bid at ₹2 crore, the base price. The LSG think tank lifted the paddle to take it to ₹2.2 crore, but opted out after the former raised it to ₹2.4 crore.
Curran is a terrific player and an able death bowler, having proved his prowess on multiple occasions. At the IPL 2022 mega auction, he even became the player to receive the then-highest-ever bid when Punjab Kings (PBKS) roped him in for ₹18.50 crore.
Sam Curran did not disappoint, and he ended up having a great campaign at the T20 World Cup later that year, grabbing the title with England and also receiving the Player of the Final award and the Player of the Tournament awards.
#1 Jos Buttler
Another player whom LSG missed roping in by small margins was Jos Buttler, who has wreaked havoc with the bat during his time with the Rajasthan Royals (RR). With multiple centuries to his name at the tournament, Buttler’s bidding was anticipated to be a big one.
One of the most feared batters in the T20 setup, Buttler’s bidding started at his base price of ₹2 crore. It was RR and Gujarat Titans (GT) who kept going with their bids, raising the paddles one after the other. While PBKS entered just when RR exited, LSG started bidding at ₹13.75 crore, when the Punjab-based franchise took an exit.
It all came down to LSG and GT, but the former bowed out when the player’s price tag crossed ₹15 crore. The hammer eventually went down in favor of GT, who acquired the deadly English batter for ₹15.75 crore.