Follow UsWhen Shreyas Iyer came up as the third name on the first marquee list of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction, it was expected that the title-winning IPL 2024 captain would fetch somewhere between 10 and 15 crore, considering he’d been purchased for 12.25 cr at the previous mega auction.
However, in what turned out to be the most extraordinary bidding war in IPL history, the team India batter ended up going for an eye-popping 26.75 cr, making him the then most expensive player in the competition’s history before Rishabh Pant (27 cr) broke the record just minutes later.
To no one’s surprise, Iyer admitted that the amount he was purchased for left him ‘gobsmacked’.
“I was absolutely gobsmacked. I wasn't expecting that amount, but I was expecting somewhere around that amount,” Iyer told ESPNCricinfo.
Live bidding wars induce anxiety even for the casual viewer, let alone the player that’s being auctioned. So how did Iyer deal with the absolute crazy bidding war that was going on?
“Once [the bidding] crossed a certain point, I was covering my ears with cotton and I just didn't want to stay in front of the TV. I went to the washroom,” Iyer revealed.
“I was in Hyderabad at that point of time, playing Syed Mushtaq Ali ([yer was Mumbai captain]. Yeah, I was dumbstruck.”
Delhi Capitals (DC) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) fought it out for the 30-year-old, but eventually, the Kings secured the services of Iyer, who captained Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to the title in IPL 2024.
Last month, the right-hander led Mumbai to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title. On January 12 (Sunday), Iyer was officially unveiled as the captain of Punjab Kings.