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Indian Premier League 2025 is scheduled to start from March 22 and the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening clash of the tournament. There will be 74 matches played in the 18th edition of the cash-rich league across 13 cities and the final will take place on May 25. Players from the eight nations will represent their respective franchises in the upcoming edition of the tournament.
India wicketkeeper batter Rishabh Pant created history in the mega auction for the IPL 2025 by becoming the most expensive buy of the tournament. Lucknow Super Giants spend 27 crores to bring the star during the auction in Jeddah Saudi Arabia.
Players featuring from different nations in IPL 2025
| Country | Players Sold | Total Spent (INR Crore) | 10+ Cr INR Buys |
| India | 120 | 383.4 | 12 |
| South Africa | 14 | 47.5 | 1 |
| Australia | 13 | 66.7 | 3 |
| England | 12 | 70.25 | 3 |
| New Zealand | 7 | 29.05 | 1 |
| Afghanistan | 6 | 21.95 | 1 |
| Sri Lanka | 6 | 13.95 | 0 |
| West Indies | 4 | 6.35 | 0 |
Why Pakistani cricketers are banned from IPL
Apart from all these nations, Pakistani cricketers were also featured in the inaugural season of the IPL that began in April 2008. But after the Mumbai terror attacks later that year, the BCCI banned the participation of Pakistani players. Here is the list of Pakistani cricketers who featured in the IPL.
Pakistani cricketers who featured in the Indian Premier League
Shahid Afridi
The former Pakistan captain was featured in the inaugural season of the tournament. He played for Deccan Chargers in the 2008 edition of the IPL. Afridi scored 81 runs in his 10 IPL outings and picked up nine wickets.
Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik was part of Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the first edition of the tournament. He played seven matches and scored 52 runs. The all-rounder managed to pick up two wickets in his first-ever IPL season.
Sohail Tanvir
The former Pakistan star played a huge role for Rajasthan Royals in winning the title in the inaugural edition of the tournament. He won the purple cap for his 22 scalps in 11 outings.
Shoaib Akhtar
Pakistan bowling legend Shoaib Akhtar represented Kolkata Knight Riders during IPL 2008 where he played three matches and picked five wickets.
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Misbah ul Haq
Former Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq was part of Royal Challengers Bangalore ( now Royal Challengers Bengaluru) in the first-ever edition of the tournament. He played eight matches and scored 117 runs.
Mohammad Asif
Pakistan star speedster Mohammad Asif also represented Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the first-ever edition of the tournament. The star played eight matches and got eight scalps.
Umar Gul
Apart from Shoaib Akhtar, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) signed Umar Gul in the 2008 edition of the tournament where he picked up 12 wickets in his six outings.
Kamran Akmal
Inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals picked Kamran Akmal during the first edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008 where the wicketkeeper batter played six matches and scored 128 runs.
Salman Butt
The left-handed batter was featured for Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League where he scored 193 runs in seven matches he played.
Younis Khan
Younis Khan is an IPL winner as he was part of Rajasthan Royals in the 2008 edition of the IPL. He managed to feature in just one match where he got out after scoring three runs.
Mohammad Hafeez
Mohammad Hafeez played for the Kolkata Night Riders in the 2008 edition of the IPL. The all-rounder scored 64 runs in eight matches and picked two wickets.
Azhar Mahmood
Former Pakistan all-rounder Azhar Mahmood is the only cricketer from the neighbouring nation who played three editions of the Indian Premier League from 2012 to 2015 by virtue of his English passport. He represented Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in three editions of the tournament. He played 23 IPL matches and picked 29 wickets and scored 388 runs.
