Ranking the top 5 steals of IPL 2025 auction ft. Washington Sundar & Gujarat Titans
The Indian Premier League 2025 mega-auction concluded on Monday, November 25, and went down as a historic one, recording the highest amount of money spent at any IPL auction so far. While some teams brought back their old players, several teams will look as good as new this edition.
The tournament is set to begin on March 14, 2025, and will see the new-look teams plying their trade for the coveted silverware. The 2025 auction saw several records being broken, and the one that stood out was Rishabh Pant becoming the costliest player in the tournament’s history.
The Indian wicketkeeper-batter was roped in by the Lucknow Super Giants for ₹27 crore. Shreyas Iyer followed him closely, as the Punjab Kings bought him for ₹26.75 crore.
While there were many occasions where the teams went all out to get the services of the players they desired to have on their side, there were also instances of top players being sold for shockingly low prices.
On that note, let’s rank the top five steal deals of the IPL 2025 auction:
#5 Umran Malik, Kolkata Knight Riders
Reigning IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) roped in Umran Malik at his base price of ₹75 lakh. The fast bowler, who made strides in the 2022 edition of the tournament, saw a downfall in his IPL career 2023 edition onwards.
Malik first came to the limelight in IPL 2023, when he bowled deliveries at over 150kmph in a match between the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). He then represented SRH from 2022 to 2024 and shot to fame in the 2022 edition, when he consistently bowled at over 150kmph and broke several records.
IPL 2023 wasn’t an ideal season for Malik, and he was eventually benched in the 2024 edition, leading to a downfall.
The speedster now has an opportunity to impress KKR’s coaching staff, make his way into the playing XI and mark his comeback to the tournament. Given his ability to bowl 150+kmph deliveries, KKR nabbing him at ₹75 lakh was a steal.
#4 Mitchell Santner, Mumbai Indians
New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner made his IPL debut with the Chennai Super Kings in 2018 and won the title thrice with the side. After spending five years at the Chennai camp, Santner will don a jersey beyond the yellow one for the first time in the IPL.
The Kiwi was bought by CSK’s arch-rivals Mumbai Indians for ₹2 crore, with just an increase of ₹10 lakh in his salary. At the 2022 mega-auction, CSK trusted Santner and added him back to their side for ₹1.9 crore.
Santner’s addition to MI’s squad will work wonders for the five-time champions, especially in their home games. Given the assistance that the pitch at the Wankhede provides, Santner will make merry of the Indian conditions.
#3 Rahmanullah Gurbaaz, Kolkata Knight Riders
Kolkata brought back Rahmanullah Gurbaz at his base price of ₹2 crore, three times more than what he had been receiving for the past two years with the same franchise. While there were no other bidders for Gurbaz, KKR didn’t let go of the opportunity and roped the explosive batter back into their side.
Gurbaz played a key role in KKR’s title-winning 2024 campaign and was also very impactful with the bat on the night of the final against SRH.
Representing his national side after the conclusion of the IPL, Gurbaz’s best performance came in the T20 World Cup match against Australia as Afghanistan beat the cricketing giants to script history. He is a very able wicketkeeper-batter and can help give the team the desired start.
KKR might as well continue their opening combination of Sunil Narine and Gurbaz, with Venkatesh Iyer making his way at No. 3.
#2 Washington Sundar, Gujarat Titans
Gujarat Titans, who had a topsy-turvy campaign in 2024, had a big task in revamping their side, especially with the exit of some of their key players. They did not have a perfect day at the auction but managed to add some really good players to their side.
One among them was Washington Sundar, who was roped in for ₹3.2 crore. The spin-bowling all-rounder had a memorable outing recently in the first India-Australia Borer Gavaskar Trophy Test in Perth, as he picked wickets on a pitch that did not offer much assistance to spinners.
Sundar represented RCB for four years before moving to SRH after the 2022 mega auction. He started his IPL career with the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants and came in as Ravichandran Ashwin’s replacement.
While he received ₹8.75 crore when in SRH, his 2025 salary saw a big decline but GT need not worry as they’ve gotten themselves a class bowler at a very reasonable price.
#1 Sam Curran, Chennai Super Kings
England bowler Sam Curran grabbed everyone’s attention when Punjab Kings (PBKS) spent ₹18.50 crore to add him to their side. The price tag looked apt at that time, as Curran had won the 2022 T20 World Cup with England while also being named the Player of the Match in the final and the Player of the Tournament.
But all that faded away at the IPL as he couldn’t stand up to the team’s expectations, and was also handed the captaincy duties in Shikhar Dhawan’s injury-ridden absence.
Having made his IPL debut with PBKS before moving to CSK, the five-time champions roped him back into their side for the upcoming edition, paying just ₹2.4 crore. Given his pace and abilities with the ball in the shortest format, the Men in Yellow sealed a great deal.