IPL mega auction: Rasikh Dar picked by RCB for Rs 6 crores, Mohit Sharma roped in by DC

Jeddah: Jammu and Kashmir fast bowler Rasikh Salam was picked up by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for Rs 6 crores during the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction on Sunday.

During the auction, he attracted bids from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) as well and Delhi Capitals, with who he took nine wickets in eight matches last season, tried to use the 'Right to Match' card, but RCB had the last laugh on the auction table.

Rasikh took nine wickets in four matches at an average of 10.33 during the recently concluded ACC Emerging Team's Asia Cup.

For Mumbai Indians (MI) bowler Akash Madhwal, who entered the auction at base price of Rs 30 lakh, was bought by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 1.2 crores after getting bid from Punjab Kings as well. In 13 matches for MI in last two seasons, he took 19 wickets.

Mohit Sharma, the Indian pace veteran entering the auction as an "uncapped player" as he did not play international cricket for over five years, was picked up by Delhi Capitals (DC) for Rs 2.2 crores. In 2023, he had a revival season with Gujarat Titans (GT), taking 27 wickets in 14 matches. In 112 matches, he has taken 132 wickets in IPL.

Vyshak Vijaykumar, who played a crucial role in RCB's run to playoffs, with four wickets in four matches, was picked by Punjab Kings for Rs 1.8 crores, with his former franchise not using the RTM card for him.
Pacer Kartik Tyagi was left unsold.

Also, Himachal Pradesh's swing bowler Vaibhav Arora was picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 1.8 crores. In the last season with champions KKR this year, he took 11 wickets in 10 matches. He also got bids from Delhi Capitals and Rajasthan Royals.

Vidarbha's Yash Thakur, who played for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last season, taking 11 wickets in 10 matches including a fifer, was picked up by Punjab Kings for Rs 1.6 crores.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction from Sunday to Monday will be 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.