Business News

A whopping Rs 640 crores will be splurged in the two days of the IPL 2025 players auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. So, expect some madness. Auctions always do that. However, what will truly stand out this time is the ruthlessness of the process. It’s expected to be a market-driven, or rather need-driven, exercise with no place for emotions. This auction will highlight how the IPL has evolved into a market-driven brand proposition, with return on investment (ROI) as its guiding principle. Players will be picked with two clear objectives — assembling a squad capable of winning eight games to make the playoffs and building a strong brand. For instance, picking Rishabh Pant for a hefty price will not just be a cricketing move, it will also be a strategic brand call. Any team Pant joins will see a significant boost in its brand value, which will bring in sponsors; and in the IPL, it all adds up. All the teams have been ideating for days now and have excel sheets ready with clearly defined plans A, B and C. Despite all the efforts, two teams will have a bad season and end up 9th and 10th in the points table. That’s the harsh reality. Emotions have always played a role in the IPL auctions. With some of India’s richest people in the room, it is only natural that egos will come into play -- and that’s where things usually go wrong. However, this auction is expected to be different. It will not be about egos. It will be about team balance and brand. After 18 years, the teams seem to have a better understanding of cricket and the needs of their teams. They are better prepared to stick to the plans and make tough decision under pressure. As Sourav Ganguly said, “When the paddle goes up and you know the purse isn’t all there you do feel the pressure. You need to be extremely focused to get it right”. Venky Mysore, CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders, put it well, “We come in with a very conscious strategy. We want to add particular skillsets to the side and not simply go by names. Team balance is the key and that’s what we will aim to do again in the auction”. At the auction, some of cricket’s sharpest minds will be at the helm, strategizing for their franchises. If it is Stephen F leming and MS Dhoni for Chennai Super Kings and Mahela Jayawardene for Mumbai Indians, it will be Zaheer Khan for the Lucknow Super Giants and Ashish Nehra for Gujarat Titans. Each franchise knows that not every buy will go their way. With 10 teams now in the fray, this has become the norm. The challenge is to maintain composure. It is tough to back off when the need is urgent. Desperation leads to mistakes. Unlike smaller auctions, which are all about who is available and less about cricketing pedigree, the talent pool in the mega auction is enormous. At the end of the two-day mega auction, every team will walk away with matchwinners in their ranks. After that it will be all about which team plays the best cricket. You can do only so much at the auction table. The final act is always performed on the 22 yards, where the game is ultimately decided.