Punjab Kings (PBKS) opened coffers in the IPL 2025 mega auction to acquire Shreyas Iyer for a record-breaking Rs 26.75 crore on November 24, Sunday. The recently crowned IPL 2024 champion was highly sought after by several franchises, and Punjab Kings, with their massive purse of Rs 110.5 crore, outbid the competition to secure his services. Iyer's acquisition shattered previous records, making him the most expensive player in IPL auction history. However, this record was short-lived, as Rishabh Pant was later bought by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Rs 27 crore.
Shreyas Iyer ignores Ricky Ponting phone call before IPL 2025 mega auction
Meanwhile, ia shocking revelation during a break in the auction, cricket legend and PBKS head coach Ricky Ponting disclosed that Shreyas Iyer had not responded to his calls prior to the mega-auction.
"I haven’t spoken to him (Shreyas Iyer about captaincy) yet, I tried to call him before the auction but he didn’t pick up. He’s been a successful captain in IPL before, I worked with him for 3-4 years in Delhi and he was the championship winner last season. I’m delighted to work with him again, if he can do that for us in the IPL I’ll be pretty happy," the PBKS' head coach said.
PBKS top buys in IPL 2025 mega auction so far:
Arshdeep Singh (Rs 18 crore), Shreyas Iyer (Rs 26.75 crore), Yuzvendra Chahal (Rs 18 crore), Harshal Patel (Rs 8 crore)
Shreyas Iyer, the 29-year-old captain who led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title, was unexpectedly released by the franchise ahead of the 2025 IPL auction in Saudi Arabia. Despite having a base price of just Rs 2 crore, Iyer was in radar of almost all the franchise. Initially, Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Capitals were the primary contenders for Iyer's services. However, Punjab Kings emerged as the ultimate victor, outbidding Delhi Capitals to secure the talented batsman.
Iyer has a decent track record in the glitzy league as over the time he has proved himself as a reliable and impactful middle-order batter in the IPL. With 3,127 runs in 115 matches at an impressive average of 32.24 and a strike rate of 127.48, he has demonstrated a knack for scoring runs and playing match-winning innings. His highest score of 96 and 21 half-centuries speaks volume about the reputation of Iyer.
