IPL mega auction: Bethell heads to RCB for 2.6 cr, SRH picks Kamindu for Rs 75 lakh

England all-rounder Jacob Bethell joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for Rs 2.6 crore while Sri Lankan sensation Kamindu Mendis was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for Rs 75 lakh during the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction at Jeddah on Tuesday. During the auction, Bethell attracted a bid from SRH and Punjab Kings (PBKS) before RCB jumped in and got his services. The young all-rounder has played seven T20Is for England, scoring 173 runs with two fifties at a strike rate of 167.96.

Kamindu was picked by SRH for 75 lakh Rs and faced no competition. In 21 T20Is for SL, he has made 374 runs at an average of 20.77 and 123.43 strike rate with a fifty to his name. However, it is his 1,004 runs, five centuries and four fifties in eight Tests at an average of 91.27 that have proved to be a big selling point.

Young Delhi batter Priyansh Arya, who came into the limelight in the Delhi T20 Premier League this year, was picked up by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs 3.8 crore. Entering at Rs 30 lakh, he attracted bids from Delhi Capitals and RCB before being picked by PBKS. In the Delhi T20 Premier League, he smashed six sixes in an over during a match and scored 306 runs in 10 matches with two centuries and four fifties, striking at almost 199.

England pacer Brydon Carse was picked by SRH at his base price of Rs 1 crores. He has played 25 matches for England across all formats, picking up 38 wickets. Australian all-rounder Aaron Hardie was picked by Punjab Kings for Rs 1.25 crores and will play with Aussie stars Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, and Glenn Maxwell under Ricky Ponting's coaching. He has played 11 ODIs and 13 T20Is for Australia. Aussie pacer Xavier Bartlett, who joined PBKS for Rs 80 lakh, will also play with his Aussie teammates.

Karnataka batter Manoj Bhandage, returned to RCB for Rs 30 lakh following his exploits in Maharaja T20 Trophy, scoring 292 runs in 12 matches with a fifty at a strike rate of over 213.13. He has not found a game with RCB ever since first associating with them in 2022.

Delhi Capitals (DC) picked up Vipraj Nigam, who played in the UP T20 league this year, for Rs 50 lakh. The spinner took 20 wickets in the league's 2024 edition. Also, KL Shrijith, who played in the Maharaja T20 Trophy this year, was picked by Mumbai Indians (MI) for Rs 30 lakhs. He scored 349 runs in 11 matches, with a century and two fifties for Hubli Tigers.

Delhi Capitals got services of Sri Lankan pacer Dushmantha Chameera for Rs 75 lakh. He has played for Sri Lanka across all formats, with 143 wickets in 119 matches. Australian pacer Nathan Ellis also joined the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for Rs 2 crores, as PBKS did not use their right-to-match card on the bowler. Having played eight ODIs and 20 T20Is for Australia, he is one of the most sought-after names in the T20 league circuit.

Also, West Indies pace sensation Shamar Joseph, who shot to fame with a seven-wicket haul against Australia in a winning effort at Gabba this year, was picked by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Rs 75 lakh, marking a homecoming once again after getting some game time with the team last year.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) got the services of England all-rounder Jamie Overton for Rs 1.5 crores. He has played a Test, two ODIs and seven T20Is for England. The U19 2024 World Cup talent also got some teams, with Musheer Khan going to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs 30 lakh. Punjab also picked up Mumbai all-rounder Suryash Shedge at Rs 30 lakh

Chandigarh all-rounder Raj Angad Bawa, the hero of the 2022 U19 WC win for India, was picked by MI for Rs 30 lakhs. In the final against England, he had scored 35 runs and took a match-winning five-wicket haul. Sunrisers Hyderabad got Aniket Verma, who shined in the Madhya Pradesh T20 league this year, scoring 273 runs in six matches. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) got UP batting all-rounder Prince Yadav for Rs 30 lakh.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction from Sunday to Monday is all set to be two of the most intriguing days of this year's cricketing calendar, with several international stars having entered the auction, records expected to be broken and the possibility of some unexpected crossovers. A total of 574 players have been shortlisted from an initial pool of 1,574 names. These players will go under the hammer from November 24-25 in Jeddah. The list includes 208 overseas players, 12 uncapped overseas talents, and 318 uncapped Indian players. (ANI)