3 players PBKS had the penultimate bid for in IPL 2025 Auction who'd have fit the team well ft. Ishan Kishan
It turned out to be a record-breaking Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction which saw several big players going for massive sums. The auction was held at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on 24th and 25th December and fetched the two biggest bids in the history of IPL.
Rishabh Pant was snapped up by the Lucknow Supergiants for a whopping Rs 27 crores which made Pant the most expensive player in IPL history. Just behind was Shreyas Iyer who was bought by the Punjab Kings for a staggering Rs 26.75 crores.
Punjab Kings had the largest purse remaining when they entered the auction with a mind-boggling Rs 110.5 crores in their kitty. They had only retained Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank Singh which was a clear indication that they wanted to build a team from scratch.
They retained Arshdeep Singh via RTM for a sum of Rs 18 crores while they were the highest bidder for leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal who also fetched Rs 18 crores. They also bought Marcus Stoinis for Rs 11 crores and would be more or less happy with the team combination.
Besides buying these big names, they also bid for some other players who could have been a perfect fit in their XI. On that note, let us now have a look at three players PBKS had the penultimate bid for in the auction:
# 1. Devon Conway
Devon Conway is a batter who goes about his business without creating a furore. He was a prolific run scorer for the Chennai Super Kings in 2023, scoring 673 runs in 16 innings. He complimented Ruturaj Gaikwad and the duo broke several records during the season.
He missed the previous season and wasn't retained by the Yellow Army. Conway is a utility player who opens the batting and is also a safe gloveman. He might not be like one of the flamboyant young batters but he is certainly a value addition for any team he plays for.
Punjab Kings tried to buy Conway in the auction but couldn't quite snap him up due to their limited purse after buying several big names. CSK had a clear plan of buying Conway back in the auction and they started the bid at his base price of Rs 2 crores. PBKS’ final bid was Rs 6 crores but CSK eventually bought him for Rs 6.25 crores.
# 2. Ishan Kishan
The swashbuckling pocket-sized dynamo was always going to be a sought after player once the Mumbai Indians released him ahead of the 2025 auction. Kishan is an explosive batter who has the ability to change the complexion of a game in just fa ew deliveries.
He has been a safe gloveman, and Punjab would have been eager to buy the wicketkeeper from Jharkhand. Kishan was eventually bought by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs 11.25 crores, but PBKS did their best to acquire his services. Their last bid was Rs 11 crores, and he could have fitted in the team perfectly.
# 3. Will Jacks
Another powerful striker of the ball, there was a fierce bidding war between the Punjab Kings and the Mumbai Indians for Jacks. He has made his presence felt in the limited opportunities he has got and his batting prowess has left many drooling over his exceptional power-hitting abilities.
Jacks scored a blistering century for RCB in the previous season and was expected to be a top pick in the mega auction. The Punjab Kings tried to acquire his services and bid for him till Rs 5 crores. Mumbai eventually snapped him for Rs 5.25 crores after RCB denied the RTM.