 "Shreyas Iyer, who captained KKR to the IPL title win last season, was bought for Rs 26.75 crore by PBKS. Image: PTI")
Shreyas Iyer briefly became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday as he was bought for Rs 26.75 crore by the Punjab Kings who fought off strong interests from his former team Delhi Capitals at the IPL Auction 2025 .
Shreyas Iyer was recently released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after leading them to the IPL 2024 title, and was expected to be among the top buys heading into the mega auction in Jeddah.
“Elated to join the Punjab Kings family. Can’t wait to kickstart the season. Looking forward,” said Iyer in his first reaction after reuniting with former head coach at DC Ricky Ponting.
As was the case with Pat Cummins in last year’s auction in Dubai where he was quickly overtaken by Mitchell Starc, Iyer’s reign as the most expensive player in IPL history did not last even an hour as Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) acquired former Delhi Capitals wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant for Rs 27 crore!
LSG, who had released KL Rahul after a poor 2024 season, had initially acquired Pant for Rs 20.75 crore, only to raise their final bid to Rs 27 crore after Delhi Capitals expressed interest in retaining the wicketkeeper-batter, breaking Iyer’s record by Rs 25 lakh.