Last Updated on 1 week by Charbel Coorey

37 Australians put their name forward for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 Mega Auction, as confirmed by Fox Sports Australia. This was in addition to the players already retained by their franchises ahead of the two-day event in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Last year, Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins went for record amounts. Both will feature again in IPL 2025 for Delhi Capitals (DC) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) respectively. Overall, more than AU$12 million was spent on Australian players in the auction, but David Warner and Steve Smith were the notable players who went unsold.

List of Australians in IPL 2025

Two Australians were retained by their IPL franchise ahead of the 2025 Mega Auction.

Pat Cummins – Sunrisers Hyderabad

SRH retained Pat Cummins for a significant INR 18 crore (approx. AU$3.28 million). Cummins led SRH well in his first season as captain in 2024, helping guide the team to their first final appearance since 2018.

The franchise eventually fell short, losing to KKR in the final. However, Cummins’ leadership and performance as a bowler in batting-friendly conditions was worthy of retention.

Travis Head – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Travis Head was key in SRH’s strong season in 2024. The opener smashed 567 runs at an average of 40.50 and extraordinary strike rate of 191.55. His partnership with Abhishek Sharma at the top was the big catalyst for SRH’s performance.

SRH retained Head for INR 14 crore (approx. AU$2.55 million).

Adam Zampa – Sunrisers Hyderabad

Adam Zampa will link up with Cummins and Head at SRH. The franchise picked up the excellent legspinner for the good price of INR 2.4 crore (approx. AU$765,560).

In an attack featuring the likes of Cummins, Mohammed Shami and Harshal Patel, Zampa could fit in quite nicely should SRH choose to play him.

Josh Hazlewood – Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Josh Hazlewood was a big winner in the auction. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) picked up the pace bowler for INR 12.50 (approx AU$2.27 million). Hazlewood returns to RCB after playing for them in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, Hazlewood was terrific, taking 20 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of just 8.11.

Tim David – Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Tim David will head to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and will have a crucial role as their finisher. RCB play their home games at the batting-friendly M Chinnaswamy Stadium, so they need David to be at his best to maximise the conditions.

RCB picked David up for a relatively cheap INR 3 crore (approx. AU$547,000).

Mitchell Starc – Delhi Capitals

Unsurprisingly, Mitchell Starc attracted many bids as the first Australian in the 2025 auction. He was eventually purchased by DC for INR 11.75 crore (approx. AU$2.14 million).

Starc was the most expensive IPL player ever in 2024 before the record was broken ahead of the 2025 season. He was underwhelming for much of the IPL 2024 campaign for KKR, but he came good in the playoffs where he won man of the match in the Qualifier and Final.

Jake Fraser-McGurk – Delhi Capitals

Young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk will head back to the Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2025. DC exercised the Right to Match (RTM) option after Punjab Kings put in a final bid of INR 9 crore (approx. AU$1.64 million).

Fraser-McGurk could have attracted more bids had he enjoyed a more successful start to his international career. That being said, he is a threat on batting-friendly pitches of the IPL, as he showcased last season where he smashed 330 runs at a strike rate of 234.04.

Marcus Stoinis – Punjab Kings

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis was picked up by Ricky Ponting’s Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 11 crore (approx. AU$2 million). Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) had the opportunity to use their RTM card, but chose not to.

Stoinis hit a superb 124* off 63 balls to seal a record chase for LSG against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in IPL 2024. PBKS will be hoping for a similar impact.

Glenn Maxwell – Punjab Kings

Unsurprisingly, Glenn Maxwell was picked up in the auction. However, the price of INR 4.2 crore (approx. AU$765,387) is much lower than he is used to.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) did not hesitate in rejecting the RTM option to buy him back. Maxwell’s 52 runs in nine innings last season was enough for RCB to let him go.

Josh Inglis – Punjab Kings

Ricky Ponting’s influence at Punjab Kings is clear. Josh Inglis, who is a good player of spin and can score all around the ground, was picked up for INR 2.6 crore (AU$476,000).

As of November 2024, Inglis has 3,317 T20 runs at an average of 30.43 and strike rate of 148.41.

Aaron Hardie – Punjab Kings

Another Aussie at PBKS. Aaron Hardie, who plays for Texas Super Kings in Major League Cricket (MLC) and Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League (BBL), was picked up for INR 1.25 crore (approx. AU$228,000).

Xavier Bartlett – Punjab Kings

Xavier Bartlett is the fifth and final player at PBKS for IPL 2025. Bartlett was the top wicket-taker in the 2023/24 BBL season with 20 in 11 matches. He has since been elevated to a central CA contract and Australia’s white-ball teams.

PBKS picked up Bartlett for just INR 80 lakh (approx. $138,000) and can offer value in the powerplay should the franchise choose to play him.

Mitchell Marsh – Lucknow Super Giants

LSG picked up all-rounder Mitchell Marsh for INR 3.4 crore (approx. AU$619,599). Marsh played just four matches in IPL 2024, scoring just 61 runs. He then picked up a hamstring injury which ended his tournament.

Marsh at LSG is an interesting call given the Lucknow surface has been arguably the most difficult for batting in recent seasons.

Nathan Ellis – Chennai Super Kings

Nathan Ellis will link up with five-time IPL champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This promises to be an excellent pickup, with the potentially slow surface at Chepauk suited to Ellis’ terrific changes of pace. However, he does also possess a fine yorker.

CSK forked out INR 2cr (approx. AU$365,000) for the pace bowler and can be a handy option to use throughout the season.

Spencer Johnson – Kolkata Knight Riders

Left-arm fast bowler Spencer Johnson will join defending champions KKR. The franchise picked up an excellent value-for-money pick, spending just INR 2.8 crore (approx. AU$510,000).

Johnson has made a fine impression in T20s, impressing around the world and even taking a five-wicket haul in November 2024 against Pakistan.

Australian players who went unsold in the IPL 2025 Auction

Here is the list of Australians who went unsold in the IPL 2025 Auction:

• David Warner
• Alex Carey
• Josh Philippe
• Steve Smith
• Lance Morris