Over R1.3 billion was spent at the Abadi Al Johar arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia as the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction took centre stage on Sunday and Monday.

Franchises of cricket’s biggest T20 league purchased 182 players, with 14 South Africans, a 13-year-old Indian prodigy and some very expensive T20 world champions among those that successfully went under the hammer.

The biggest earner in the league will be team India’s World Cup winning wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, who broke the auction record on Sunday with his move to the Lucknow Super Giants for a whopping R57 million.

Next in line was last year’s IPL winning captain Shreyas Iyer who will represent the Punjab Kings next year after their R56 million bid.

Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer became the third highest buy as he went to defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders for R50 million.

History was made when thirteen-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest player to ever be sold in an IPL auction. He joined the Rajasthan Royals for R2.3 million after a bidding war with the Delhi Capitals on Monday.

Closer to home, South African cricket fans would have had plenty to cheer about, as several local players were snapped up by franchises at the auction.

Pacer Kagiso Rabada was the most expensive South African purchased at the auction, as the Gujarat Titans picked up the 29-year-old for R23 million.

Fellow fast bowler Lungi Ngidi was made to wait until the very last round before being snapped up by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru at his base price of R2.1 million.

The highest paid Protea will be Heinrich Klaasen. His team, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, retained him beforehand for R49.3 million; hence the 33-year-old did not need to participate in the auction.

Marco Jansen (Punjab Kings) and David Miller (Lucknow Super Giants) each scored in the region of R15 million while teenage sensation Kwena Maphaka went to the Rajasthan Royals for R3.2 million late on.

Former Proteas captain Faf du Plessis initially went unsold, but was secured in the latter rounds by the Delhi Capitals for his base price of R4.2 million.

With over 500 players from around the world on offer, an array of talent had to be passed on. On a South African front, Dewald Brevis, Keshav Maharaj, Wiaan Mulder and Rassie van der Dussen were among the unfortunate few.

All the South Africans that will play in the 2025 IPL:

Heinrich Klaasen, retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad, R49.3 million

Kagiso Rabada, Gujarat Titans, R23 million

Tristan Stubbs, retained by Delhi Capitals, R21.4 million

David Miller, Lucknow Super Giants, R15.8 million

Marco Jansen, Punjab Kings, R14.9 million

Anrich Nortje, Kolkata Knight Riders, R13.9 million

Quinton de Kock, Kolkata Knight Riders, R7.7 million

Gerald Coetzee, Gujarat Titans, R5 million

Faf du Plessis, Delhi Capitals, R4.2 million

Aiden Markram, Lucknow Super Giants, R4.2 million

Kwena Maphaka, Rajasthan Royals, R3.2 million

Lungi Ngidi, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, R2.1 million

Ryan Rickelton, Mumbai Indians, R2.1 million

Matthew Breetzke, Lucknow Super Giants, R1.6 million

Donovan Ferreira, Delhi Capitals, R1.6 million

Lizaad Williams, Mumbai Indians, R1.6 million

Unsold South African players:

Dewald Brevis
Keshav Maharaj
Dwaine Pretorius
Ottniel Baartman
Tabraiz Shamsi
Rassie van der Dussen
Wiaan Mulder
Wayne Parnell
Nqaba Peter
Kyle Verreynne
Nandre Burger
Junior Dala
Daryn Dupavillon
Corbin Bosch
Duan Jansen
Patrick Kruger

Pictured above: IPL mega auction

Source: @iplt20