"If your surname is not Iyer and you are a pure batter, you haven't got much money" - Aakash Chopra on Indian players in IPL 2025 Auction
Aakash Chopra has noted that Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer were the only specialist Indian batters to earn big bucks at the IPL 2025 auction. He pointed out that most of the other frontline Indian batters were retained by their respective franchises.
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) bought Shreyas for a whopping ₹26.75 crore at the auction held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on November 24 and 25. Venkatesh, who has rarely been used with the ball since the introduction of the Impact Player rule, was reacquired by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for ₹23.75 crore.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Aakash Chopra,' the former India opener reflected on some of the trends at the IPL 2025 auction. As for Indian batters (barring Shreyas and Venkatesh) not earning much, he said (2:20):
"Wicketkeeper-batters were thumbs up with both hands. However, for only batters, your surname should be Iyer. If your surname is not Iyer and you are a pure batter, you haven't got much money for the simple reason that the quality wasn't there."
Chopra pointed out that elite Indian batters didn't make it to the auction.
"All quality Indian batters were retained, from Sanju Samson to Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Abhishek Sharma and Rinku Singh. None of them came into the auction," he observed.
Virat Kohli (₹21 crore) was the most expensive Indian retention ahead of the auction. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal, who were retained for ₹18 crore apiece, were the second joint-most expensive Indian batting retentions.
"This is the way it has to be" - Aakash Chopra on Indian players earning more in IPL 2025 Auction
![Rishabh Pant (₹27 crore) was the most expensive player at the IPL 2025 auction. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/d4bdd-17326052798463-1920.jpg?w=500)
In the same video, Aakash Chopra noted that Indian players rightly earned more money at the IPL 2025 auction.
"Indians in the Indian Premier League earned a lot of money and this is the way it has to be. You want to retain Indian players but the ones who reached the auction, they got lots and pots of money. The top five buys were all Indians and that is how it should be. You need eight Indians in a team's makeup after using the Impact player," he said.
The reputed commentator noted that many Indian bowlers, along with Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, KL Rahul, and Ishan Kishan in the batting department, drew big bids.
"You saw Rishabh Pant going very expensive. Then you saw Shreyas Iyer, Venkatesh Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan, and a plethora of bowlers. Plenty of Indian bowlers earned a lot of money. This is absolutely the right thing because if the Indians don't do well in the Indian Premier League, who will?" Chopra observed.
Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal were the joint most expensive bowlers at the IPL 2025 auction. Both were acquired by PBKS for ₹18 crore apiece.