The dates for the mega auction for the upcoming season of Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025 are finally out. The much-awaited IPL 2025 mega auction is scheduled to take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on November 24 and 25. Notably, this will also be the second consecutive time that an IPL auction will take place outside India. Last year’s IPL auction took place in Dubai, which was the first instance of hosting a mega event outside the country.
The IPL auction brings as much excitement on the table as an IPL season brings, with some star players from all over the world getting big bids. The auction takes place in a different city every year. In the following listicle, we will have a look at the list of cities to host an IPL auction over the years.
List of cities to host IPL auction so far
2008 – Mumbai
The first-ever IPL auction took in the Maharashtrian capital, Mumbai, which is also known for producing some of the best cricketers to play for the country. Out of the 77 registered players, 75 players were auctioned in the first IPL auction. Australian great Shane Warne was the first-ever player to get a bid in the IPL auction. Warne was picked by Rajasthan Royals for INR 1.8 Crore and went on to lead the franchise to the title triumph. MS Dhoni was most expensive player in that season as Chennai Super Kings picked him for INR 9.5 Crore.
2009 – Goa
The second IPL auction took place in Goa on February 6, 2009. After all the trade deals between the franchises and players retention, a total 43 players from nine countries were shortlisted for the second IPL auction, out of which, only 17 players were sold. Kevin Pietersen (Royal Challengers Bangalore) and Andrew Flintoff (Chennai Super Kings) got the highest bid in that season as both the English cricketers were picked for INR 9.8 Crore each by their respective franchises.
2010 – Mumbai
The IPL auction was back in Mumbai ahead of the third edition of the cash-rich league in 2010. Out of the 97 registered players from different countries, 66 players were shortlisted to go under the hammer in the auction. However, only 11 players ended up getting a bid at the end of the IPL auction in 2010. West Indies’ Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians) and New Zealand’s Shane Bond (Kolkata Knight Riders) turned out to be the most expensive buys that year getting sold for INR 4.8 Crore each.
2011 – Bengaluru
The first-ever mega auction in IPL took place in Bengaluru on January 8 and 9 in 2011. Two new teams were also added in this season increasing the number to 10. A total of 353 players were shortlisted to go under the hammer, out of which 112 players were sold. India’s Gautam Gambhir was the highest paid cricketer in that season after Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for a whopping INR 14.9 Crore and appointed him as skipper.
2012 – Bengaluru
Bengaluru went on to host second consecutive IPL auction in 2012. This time, nine teams were making a bid after Kochi Tuskers were terminated by the BCCI, and the players from the franchise were included in the auction. This time, the players were allowed to set their base price and the franchises had to start their bid from that price. All-rounder Ravindra Jadeja got the highest bid in the IPL 2012 auction as Chennai Super Kings acquired his services for INR 12.8 Crore.
2013 – Chennai
This time, the IPL auction was held in Chennai on February 3, 2013. Out of the 108 shortlisted players for the auction, only 37 players got bid. The highest bid in that season was made for the Australia cricketer Glenn Maxwell as Mumbai Indians bought him for INR 6.3 Crore.
2014 – Bengaluru
The mega auction was back again after three years, and many big players were set to be released due to limited retention spots. Bengaluru was hosting IPL auction for the third time on February 12 and 13, 2014. Out of 895 registered, 514 players were shortlisted to go under the hammer, out of which 154 players got the final bid. The highest bid that year was made for Yuvraj Singh as Royal Challengers Bangalore bought him for INR 14 Crore.
2015 – Bengaluru
The IPL 2015 auction took place in Bengaluru on February 15. The franchises retained a large pool of players ahead of the auction and didn’t make many bids. Out of the 343 shortlisted players, only 66 players were sold in the auction with Yuvraj Singh getting the highest bid for the second-consecutive time. The left-hand batter was sold to Delhi Daredevils (now known as Delhi Capitals) for INR 16 Crore.
2016 – Bengaluru
After a two-year suspension for Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, two new teams, Rising Pune Supergiants and Gujarat Lions came in to fill the gap for couple of years, signing players from the previous two franchises. Total 351 players were shortlisted, out of which, 94 players got the final bid in the auction. Australian all-rounder Shane Watson was the highest paid player that year with Royals Challengers Bangalore bidding on him for INR 9.5 Crore.
2017 – Bengaluru
The IPL 2017 auction was held in Bengaluru on February 20. A total of 66 players were sold in the auction out of the 351 shortlisted players. England all-rounder Ben Stokes got the highest bid that season as Rising Pune Supergiants bought him for INR 14.5 Crore.
2018 – Bengaluru
The IPL mega auction was back again after four years and franchises could only retain a limited number of players. Along with this, Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were also coming back. A total of 1122 players signed for the auction out of which, 578 players were shortlisted to go under the hammer. In the end, 169 players ended up getting a bid with Ben Stokes again becoming the most expensive of the season with RR roping him in for INR 12.5 Crore.
2019 – Jaipur
For the first time after five years, the IPL auction took place out of Bengaluru, with capital city of Rajasthan, Jaipur getting the opportunity to host the event in 2019. Out of the 352 shortlisted players, 60 players ended up getting a bid in the auction. Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals) and Varun Chakravarthy (Kings XI Punjab) were the two most expensive players in that edition with both getting a bid of INR 8.4 Crore each from their respective teams.
2020 – Kolkata
The IPL 2020 auction was held in Kolkata on December 19, 2019. 332 players from different cricketing nations were shortlisted out of which, only 62 players were sold in the auction. Australia fast bowler Pat Cummins got the highest bid that year with Kolkata Knight Riders acquiring his services for INR 15.5 Crore.
2021 – Chennai
The auction for IPL 2021 took place in Chennai on February 18. 292 players were selected to go under the hammer, out of the 1097 registered players. In the end, only 57 players got a deal that year with Chris Morris getting the highest bid. The South African cricketer was bought by Rajasthan Royals for a whopping INR 16.25 Crore.
2022 – Bengaluru
The mega auction was back and two new teams were also set to make their debut in the IPL auction; Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Super Giants. The IPL 2022 mega auction took place in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. A total of 204 players were sold out of 600 shortlisted players. Wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan was the highest paid player in that season as Mumbai Indians bought him for INR 15.25 Crore.
2023 – Kochi
The IPL 2023 auction was held in Kochi on December 23, 2022. The 10 teams ended up bidding for 87 players out of the 405 shortlisted players. English all-rounder Sam Curran was sold to Punjab Kings for INR 18.5 Crore, making him most expensive buy that year.
2024 – Dubai
This was the first time that an IPL auction took place outside India. The IPL 2024 auction was held in Dubai on December 19, 2023. Out of the 333 shortlisted players, 72 players ended up getting a bid in the auction. Australian pacer, Mitchell Starc was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a whopping INR 24.75 Crore, making him the most expensive player in the history of IPL. His country mate and the World Cup winning captain Pat Cummins was also sold for a massive sum to Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 20.50 Crore, becoming the second most expensive players in the cash-rich league.
2025 – Jeddah
The IPL mega auction is back in 2025, and the event will be hosted in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia this time on November 24 and 25. The franchises have already released their list of retained players for upcoming edition of the cash-rich league. Currently, a total of 1,574 players have registered for the IPL 2025 mega auction and the final list is yet to be shortlisted, with 204 slots available across the 10 teams.