The biggest of these stars will undoubtedly be Rishabh Pant. The Indian wicket-keeper batter was released ahead of the auction by Delhi Capitals. The 27-year-old had been playing for the franchise since making his IPL debut in 2016 and also captained the team in three of the last four seasons. The left-hander is also a local boy as he plays domestic cricket for Delhi.

As per reports, captaincy was among the reasons due to which the Capitals had to put Pant into the auction. Recently in a tweet, Pant said that money was not the reason behind his release.

For DC, the option to get Pant back remains open as the franchise can still use its Right To Match card to sign the 27-year-old. The Capitals still have two RTMs left alongside a decent purse of INR 73 crore.

However, with the relations between Pant and the franchise not on the best of terms, it is highly unlikely that the 27-year-old will return to DC.

Which team will buy Rishabh Pant and at what price?

Pant is expected to be the highest paid player at the IPL 2025 auction. Indian players are always at a premium in the auctions and with Pant also providing a captaincy option and being a popular face, his value is set to touch the sky. Therefore, only the teams with hefty purse will have the capability to sign him.

Punjab Kings are the team with the most amount of money left after retentions. The Kings have INR 110.5cr left in their purse as they retained just two players and that too uncapped. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the team with second heaviest purse, have INR 83cr while Delhi Capitals with INR 73cr are third.

Interestingly, the three teams with least retentions and heaviest purse are the only three of the original eight franchises to have never won the IPL trophy.

Among the three teams, Punjab Kings seem like the frontrunner to get Pant. Apart from the biggest purse, there is also the Ricky Ponting connection that might work in their favour.

Ponting was appointed the head coach of Punjab Kings recently and the Australia great had been with Pant before at Delhi Capitals. The connection might suit both Pant and Ponting and the duo might reunite at Punjab Kings. The franchise will also be looking at Pant as a captain.

RCB will also try their best to sign Pant. Even though they have less purse than Punjab Kings, they might go hard at him. DC may still get back Pant via RTM if they want. These three sides only seem to have a realistic chance of getting Rishabh Pant.

As for the price, experts are certain that Pant will become the first Indian player in the history of IPL auctions to cross the INR 20cr landmark.

Will he become the highest paid player ever at the auction?

Mitchell Starc was bought at a mind boggling sum of INR 24.5cr last year but Pant's chances of crossing that amount are slim. Mainly because it is a mega auction and teams have to buy a lot of players, so they can't afford to spend too much on a single player.

Ishan Kishan's price tag of INR 15.25cr at the last mega auction in 2022 remains the highest bid ever at the big auction. That seems set to be crossed.

IPL 2025 mega auction will take place on November 24 and 25 in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.