The IPL 2025 mega auction is ever so close now and there is tangible excitement among fans. However, it seems there are a fair share of surprises too.Last week, a shortlist of 574 cricketers was prepared by the BCCI and sent to the IPL franchises.

The tug of war over Jofra Archer’s involvement in next year’s IPL has ended with him being picked up by Rajasthan Royals for £1.2m in an auction of unprecedented excess that saw India’s Rishabh Pant bought for a record figure of near £2.

At the 2022 mega-auction, Mumbai Indians spent INR 8 crore (then USD 1.06m approx.) on Archer even though he had just undergone elbow surgery and was not fit to play that season. He played five games for MI in 2023, taking two wickets, before his season was ended prematurely by another elbow issue.