Before the IPL 2025 mega auction, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) organized a mock auction where the bid for Rishabh Pant made everyone surprised. KKR, the defending champion, has retained a total of 6 players for the upcoming season. In this mock auction, even Jos Buttler was surprised by the huge bid made for him.
In this mock auction, a total of 5 teams participated, with each team having a budget of ₹51 crore. This amount matches the remaining budget for KKR in the mega auction, as they have already spent ₹69 crore to retain 6 players: Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh. The KKR franchise selected 30 super fans and divided them into five groups, allowing them to bid on their favourite players.
Rishabh Pant Became the Most Expensive Pick
In the mock auction held on November 13, an interesting bidding war took place for former Delhi Capitals captain Rishabh Pant. He became the most expensive player, with a winning bid of ₹18.75 crore by the Golden Knights. The second most expensive player in the mock auction was England’s star wicketkeeper-batter Jos Buttler. He received a price of ₹17.25 crore. This Price makes him one of the top picks in the mock auction. Venkatesh Iye was the third most expensive player in the mock auction. He got a bid of ₹14.75 crore, showing strong interest from the teams.
The Mock Auction Teams
The mock auction featured five teams: Noble Knights, Purple Knights, Golden Knights, Thunder Knights, and Regal Knights. Out of these, the Golden Knights secured Pant for ₹18.75 crore, surprising everyone with the high bid.
Shreyas Iyer Gets a Shocking Low Bid
Interestingly, Shreyas Iyer, who led KKR to the championship in IPL 2024, was bid for just ₹4.4 crores. Reports suggest that Iyer had initially demanded ₹30 crore, making the final bid significantly lower than expected. After A few months out of form, Iyer is currently destructive In Ranji Trophy 2024. He got a double century in the previous week against Odisha.
