Ranking all the IPL squads after IPL 2025 Auction - KKR at top, RCB to struggle?
The two-day IPL 2025 Mega auction saw franchises fight tooth and nail to land the ideal fits and overall squad supremacy. The auction dynamics played its usual tricks of bumping up prices for some and head-scratchingly low prices for others.
Yet, wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant being the most expensive signing at ₹27 crores with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) was along expected lines. It was also clear that the Impact Player rule significantly reduced the value of bits and pieces all-rounders and all-rounders in general.
Several international greats, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, and David Warner found no bidders while the best six hitters landed lucrative prices, highlighting the evolution of the T20 game.
That said, all 10 franchises generally appeared well-rounded in several areas with a few gaping holes in others. Ranking the squads from 10 to 1 is often an exercise of splitting hairs that involves a semblance of subjectivity, as will be the case here.
On that note, let us rank the 10 squads based on their overall balance, x-factors, depth, and other key impact categories after the IPL 2025 auction.
#10 LSG
Despite breaking the record for the most expensive buy in IPL history with Rishabh Pant, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) have arguably the most glaring holes in the squad.
For starters, who are LSG's two openers? With the retention of Nicholas Pooran and the acquisitions of Pant, Mitchell Marsh, David Miller, and Aiden Markam, the middle-order boasts an explosive look.
Yet, it is likely one or both of Markram and Marsh might have to open the batting unless the side has other tricks up its sleeve that are unknown for the time being. The 11th-hour pick-up of lesser-known South African opener Matthew Breetzke was evidence that the franchise had messed up on their top two of the batting order.
LSG also bought only six overseas players and will rely heavily on Indian bowlers - pace and spin. While a possible bowling core of Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ravi Bishnoi, Shahbaz Ahamad, Avesh Khan, and Akash Deep with Shamar Joseph as the lone overseas option is nothing to sneeze about, it lacks slightly overall IPL experience and pedigree.
Verdict: A strong middle-order might struggle to save a questionable top-order and relatively less intimidating bowling attack
Squad: Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Rishabh Pant, David Miller, Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Avesh Khan, Abdul Samad, Aryan Juyal, Akash Deep, Himmat Singh, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Singh, Shamar Joseph, Prince Yadav, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Arshin Kulkarni, and Matthew Breetzke.
#9 RCB
IPL's most loyal fanbase might vehemently disagree with their side - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) being ranked so low. Yet, their performance at the auction mirrored the on-field showing last season - a dismal start and a strong comeback.
Despite retaining only three players and boasting a big purse, RCB did not land either Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, or KL Rahul - the three big Indian names in the auction. They also passed on using the Right-To-Match (RTM) for more renowned players like Mohammed Siraj, Glenn Maxwell, and Will Jacks and instead used the same in the latter stages of the auction on the inexperienced Swapnil Singh.
While Virat Kohli and Phil Salt will undoubtedly form a terrific opening partnership, No.3 becomes a massive question mark for RCB. While the power-packed middle-order options of Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, and Romario Shepherd might find one drop a position or two too high, drafting Devdutt Padikkal at No.3 might hamper the scoring tempo.
The other issue in the RCB squad remains the absence of a solid Indian or overseas left-hander suited for T20s, forcing them to pick England's Jacob Bethell towards the end of the auction. It makes Krunal Pandya's role crucial as the lone recognized Indian left-hander despite batting predominantly being his secondary skill.
RCB is also light in the spin department with Pandya as their most established spinner with the inexperienced duo of Suyash Sharma and Swapnil Singh as the next two options.
Yet, RCB must be complimented for addressing the pace-bowling issue that has long plagued them with the buys of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, and the ever-improving Rasikh Dar Salam in addition to the already retained Yash Dayal.
Verdict: Powerful batting lineup and potent pace attack neutralized by lack of versatility with the bat and in the spin department
Squad: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, and Mohit Rathee.
#8 RR
The Rajasthan Royals (RR) were among the few teams that invested heavily in their core by retaining six players pre-auction. Yet, they had more misses than hits during the two-day event, resulting in questionable bench strength and an over-reliance on injury-prone overseas bowlers.
Let's get the good out of the way - RR added the underrated Nitish Rana to an already powerful batting lineup of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, and Shimron Hetmyer. However, Wanindu Hasaranga as their best all-rounder conveys a thing or two about their dependence on the Impact Player rule.
Now to the bowling - the spin department will likely be led by the Sri Lankan duo of Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana due to the lack of a frontline Indian spinner other than Kumar Kartikeya.
The pace attack looks formidable with Jofra Archer, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, and Tushar Deshpande. However, Archer and Hasaranga have dealt with fitness issues more often than not recently and Teekshana's IPL 2024 was anything but impressive.
RR is also one of the few teams with only six overseas players in their squad - a risky move in this day and age of injury-prone players.
Verdict: A well-rounded starting XI that could come under fire with form or injury issues due to poor backup options and a lack of high-caliber Indian spin bowlers
Squad: Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Nitish Rana, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kwena Maphaka, Kunal Rathore, and Ashok Sharma.
#7 SRH
IPL 2024 runner-up SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) rightly went high on retaining their core pre-auction. However, the side struggled with two major issues last season - world-class spinners and an unreliable lower-middle order.
While they addressed the former with the signing of Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, and the versatile part-timer Kamindu Mendis, the latter still has a lot to be desired.
With the Ishan Kishan buy at the auction, SRH's top five of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, and Nitish Reddy are as intimidating as any in the IPL.
Yet, as they found out in last season's Qualifier 1 and final, loss of early wickets could have them dependent on their lower middle-order a few times. While Abhinav Manohar is a highly skilled No.6 and Mendis has batted in the lower middle-order for Sri Lanka in T20Is, the duo is not much of an upgrade from Abdul Samad and Shahbaz Ahamad.
The bench strength from a spin-bowling and batting point of view is another area of concern for SRH. However, their playing XI with the above-mentioned top five and a bowling attack of Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, and Mohammed Shami (the final three acquired at the auction) is still as powerful as any on their day.
However, when it's not their day, depth in batting and bench strength comes into play and SRH might be found wanting in both areas.
Verdict: Lower middle-order issues and lack of bench strength in spin-bowling and batting departments could spell doom on an otherwise powerful lineup
Squad: Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head, Mohammad Shami, Harshal Patel, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Adam Zampa, Atharva Taide, Abhinav Manohar, Simarjeet Singh, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, Kamindu Mendis, Aniket Verma, Eshan Malinga, and Sachin Baby.
#6 PBKS
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) enjoyed undoubtedly their best IPL auction in years but a few areas of weaknesses could still hamper their progress in 2025.
Boasting the biggest purse, the franchise landed their likely captain Shreyas Iyer as their first choice at the auction. The return of the ever-impressive Arshdeep Singh and the landing of Yuzvendra Chahal give their bowling a world-class look.
Unsurprisingly with head coach Ricky Ponting, PBKS went high on Aussie players - acquiring former PBKS players like Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis and others like Aaron Hardie and Xavier Barlett.
The shrewd all-rounder buys of Marco Jansen and Azmatullah Omarzai provide the perfect balance between a power-packed top six and a serviceable bowling attack. The latter, however, may be short of pedigree apart from Arshdeep and Chahal with Harpreet Brar and Vyshak Vijaykumar likely to be the other two bowlers.
PBKS may also have an opener issue with Josh Inglis or Marcus Stoinis likely having to move to the top to partner the talented yet inconsistent Prabhsimran Singh.
Verdict: A well-rounded squad with bowling depth and top-order batting possibly playing spoilsport
Squad: Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlett, Pyla Avinash, and Pravin Dubey.
#5 DC
Much like PBKS, the Delhi Capitals (DC) have often been criticized for their auction strategies and moves over the years. However, they may have finally hit the ball out of the park in the IPL 2025 auction with several impressive moves and only a few issues to overcome.
With Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav retained, the side already boasted a world-class look in the spin department. Yet, no major additions among spinners beg the question of depth should one of the two miss out due to any unforeseeable reason.
Bringing back the explosive opener Jake Fraser-McGurk and acquiring the IPL run-machine KL Rahul in a steal, DC's opening partnership should mirror RCB's with Kohli and Salt. In Faf du Plessis, DC has an experienced and highly accomplished batter who can replace McGurk or one of Harry Brook or Tristan Stubbs in the middle-order.
The ever-improving Abishek Porel and Axar Patel on either side of the overseas middle order, followed by last season's sensation Ashutosh Sharma make DC a batting unit a force to be reckoned with.
The franchise is also rich in pace-bowling options and variety with left-armers Mitchell Starc and T Natarajan, forming an excellent foursome with the duo of Mohit Sharma and Mukesh Kumar.
Useful backup options like Dushmanta Chameera, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, and Donovan Ferreira make DC one of the most well-rounded squads in the competition.
Verdict: Spin-bowling depth aside, DC could be a dominant force in an 'ideal' world
Squad: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Mitchell Starc, KL Rahul, Harry Brook, Jake Fraser-McGurk, T. Natarajan, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Mukesh Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Dushmantha Chameera, Donovan Ferreira, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, and Madhav Tiwari.
#4 GT
One could make a legitimate case for the Gujarat Titans (GT) as the best-performing franchise in the IPL 2025 auction. With Shubman Gill already retained, they signed the legendary Jos Buttler as his opening partner.
Having retained a possible No.3 and No.5 in Sai Sudharsan and Shahrukh Khan, GT bolstered their middle-order further with the acquisitions of Sherfane Rutherford and Glenn Phillips.
The steal of the day came when they picked up the in-form spin-bowling all-rounder Washington Sundar to complement the world-class Rashid Khan as the second spinner.
Their impressive auction continued with the acquisitions of pacers Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Kagiso Rabada. The squad is also not short of worthy back-up options like Ishant Sharma, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, and Gerald Coetzee, among others.
Despite getting most things right, GT's lone concern area may be the middle to lower middle-order of Rutherford/Phillips, Sharukh, Sundar, and Tewatia and whether two or three of them could be batting a position higher.
Death bowling might also be a slight issue should Rabada and Krishna not hit their strides right away.
Verdict: A world-class top order and a well-rounded bowling attack with terrific back-ups should overcome a possible middle-order hole.
Squad: Rashid Khan, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Nishant Sindhu, Mahipal Lomror, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Manav Suthar, Washington Sundar, Gerald Coetzee, Arshad Khan, Gurnoor Brar, Sherfane Rutherford, Sai Kishore, Ishant Sharma, Jayant Yadav, Glenn Phillips, Karim Janat, and Kulwant Khejroliya.
#3 CSK
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) went for depth and variety over the highest possible pedigreed player in a category during a steady and solid IPL 2025 auction. After making five excellent retentions, the franchise brought back their 2023 hero Devon Conway to restore his opening partnership with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.
They also strengthened their middle-order depth by adding spin-basher Rahul Tripathi, the dangerous Deepak Hooda, up-and-coming Rachin Ravindra, and Tamil Nadu's very own Vijay Shankar. With the powerful Shivam Dube and finishers Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni to follow, CSK's batting lineup carries depth and expertise to master the testing Chepauk conditions.
The nostalgic auction continued for CSK when they brought back legendary off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin after almost a decade and the 2022 T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament Sam Curran to further enhance their all-rounders' department.
An excellent powerplay seamer in Khaleel Ahmed with admirable backup options of Anshul Kamboj and Gurjapneet Singh adds further variety to the Indian pace attack.
The smart overseas buys of Noor Ahmad and Nathan Ellis make CSK arguably the side with the most combinations of playing XI and yet always retaining at least six bowlers and eight to nine batters.
Perhaps the only complaint for CSK fans would be around possessing more world-class pacers with the new ball and better IPL-tested middle-order batters.
Verdict: CSK are spoilt for choices with conditions-specific players in all departments with the absence of X-factors the lone worry
Squad: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Rachin Ravindra, R. Ashwin, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Shaik Rasheed, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Deepak Hooda, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Vansh Bedi, and Andre Siddarth.
#2 MI
If CSK's lone worry is the absence of X-factor players, the polar opposite of that is their arch-rivals - Mumbai Indians (MI). Much like a good beginning is half the job done in life, a good retention is half the job in the IPL.
With Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Jasprit Bumrah retained, MI needed an average auction to be a top-four team on paper. And they did better than average by bringing back Trent Boult and with the tremendous acquisitions of Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Santner, Will Jacks, and Ryan Rickelton.
Afghanistan's Allah Ghazanfar adds the mystery element to their spin department with the veteran Karn Sharma adding further depth.
A starting XI boasting of some of the world's best T20 players and a bench strength boasting an excellent mix of experience and youth, MI should be back contending for a sixth IPL title in 2025.
Verdict: A slightly thin bench aside, MI should enjoy a bounce-back year and be among the chief contenders for IPL 2025
Squad: Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Deepak Chahar, Allah Ghazanfar, Will Jacks, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Raj Angad Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, and Vignesh Puthur.
#1 KKR
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) had one thing and only one thing in mind during the auction - bring back as many players of their championship-winning side from last season.
And that they did in plenty with over 10 players back from their dominant IPL 2024 squad. While Phil Salt, Shreyas Iyer, and Mitchell Starc slipped from their grasp, the franchise more than covered up for them with the acquisitions of Quinton de Kock, Anrich Nortje, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell, and Ajinkya Rahane.
A top seven of Sunil Narine, De Kock, Venkatesh Iyer, Angkrish Raghuwanshi, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, and Ramandeep Singh should create tremors among other sides, while the bowling lineup of Narine, Russell, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Nortje might even be stronger than the batting.
With backup options like Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Moeen Ali, Rahane, Manish Pandey, Rovman Powell, Mayank Markande, and Umran Malik, among others, KKR could well become only the third back-to-back IPL champion next year. A new captain in the absence of Shreyas Iyer could be the lone minor weakness in an otherwise dominant KKR squad.
Verdict: KKR's squad with the right captain has all the makings of repeating as IPL champions in 2025
Squad: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Anrich Nortje, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Spencer Johnson, Luvnith Sisodia, Ajinkya Rahane, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, and Umran Malik.