Meet the lesser-knowns crorepatis: Five surprise picks that no one saw coming at the IPL 2025 mega auction
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The IPL auction has always been seen as an event in which relatively unheralded players can make a name for themselves, earning life-altering money by letting their skills see them into a bidding war and set their career on a strong track.
With plenty of money on offer for the stars, there was also enough to pull up some of the more unknown players into the conscience of cricket fans across the country. Here are five surprising players who were in high demand at the auction.
Priyansh Arya
Priyansh Arya’s show in the Delhi Premier League, including the six sixes in an over he hit, shot him into immediate IPL consideration. However, with a very solid body of work around him even without considering that headline moment, Priyansh’s strong stats in domestic T20 games earned him 3.8 crore from Punjab Kings. A hefty paycheck for a largely unknown quantity, but PBKS will be hoping they have their own version of Abhishek Sharma.
Allah Ghazanfar
The 18-year-old Afghanistan spinner shot into prominence with a six-wicket performance against Bangladesh in an ODI this month, but his 4.8 crore price tag is inspired by the positive eye-test of a tricky, skiddy mystery spinner with heaps of potential. Mumbai Indians were on the lookout for a quality spinner to support their strong pace bowling, and although it’s a commitment towards a youngster still finding his footing, he could be a gamechanger for MI in coming seasons.
Eshan Malinga
IPL fans would have had their nostalgia bone tickled when they saw a Sri Lankan seamer named Malinga caught up in a bidding war, raising his price tag to 1.20 crore where he was snapped up by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Eshan Malinga was the only uncapped international sold in this year’s IPL, with teams being willing to take a punt on a player who has impressed for Sri Lanka’s developmental teams with his strong tall action and ability to generate high pace. A big name and a big paycheck to live up to.
Gurjapneet Singh
Another one of those lesser-known quantities who found himself at the heart of a bidding war, the Chennai native Gurjapneet Singh will represent his home team Chennai Super Kings after they were willing to shell out 2.2 crore to keep him away from Ashish Nehra and the Gujarat Titans. A tall left-arm seamer who impressed with the Dindigul Dragons alongside Ravichandran Ashwin as they lifted the 2024 TNPL, Gurjapneet has been with CSK as a net bowler and will continue his journey for the Yellow Army.
Rasikh Salam
One of the uncapped players that teams would have kept an eye on heading into this auction, Rasikh Salam’s 6 crore purchase by Royal Challengers Bangalore is still a pretty surprising figure for a player who still has a lot to prove on the biggest stage. Nevertheless, having shown a clear capability to take wickets throughout an inning in limited appearances for DC last season and with India in the Emerging Players Asia Cup, the J&K seamer will benefit immensely from exposure to the experience of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood at the Chinnaswamy.
