(From L to R) Trent Boult; Devdutt Padikkal; R Ashwin
Credit: DH Images
As many as 182 players were sold for Rs 639.15 crore during the two-day IPL 2025 Mega Auction at the Abadi Al Johar Arena in Jeddah. The auction saw teams make strategic moves, assembling the best possible squads with well-laid plans. Among the 182 players, a few players experienced an emotional homecoming to their former franchises.
Here’s a closer look at the top 5 homecoming players:
R Ashwin
R Ashwin
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R Ashwin is back in yellow as he returns to Chennai Super Kings (CSK) 10 years after leaving the franchise in 2015.
CSK and Rajasthan Royals (RR) were engaged in a fierce bidding war for his services, but RR eventually backed out, allowing CSK to re-sign Ashwin for Rs 9.75 crore. Ashwin started his IPL career with CSK, making his debut in 2009 and contributing to the team’s title wins in 2010 and 2011.
"It was a bit of a homecoming for Ashwin but he's a world class bowler. Like Venky talked about, it's not so much the price, you look at how someone fits in and there's an emotional attachment of Ashwin with Chennai, so it is a nice fit," CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said at a press conference.
Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell in action for Royal Challengers Bangalore
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After securing Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh, Punjab Kings (PBKS) pursued Glenn Maxwell, who previously played for the franchise for three seasons. Despite interest from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and CSK, PBKS sealed the deal, getting the explosive batter for just Rs 4.2 crore.
Maxwell, who was one of the top run-scorers for Punjab in 2014, returns to a franchise aiming for their first IPL title. With 2771 IPL runs at a strike rate of 156.73, Maxwell’s experience and explosive batting could be crucial for PBKS.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
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After parting ways with Mohammed Siraj, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) needed an experienced Indian pacer in the squad. As expected, the franchise went all gun blazing to buy the 'swing king' Bhuvneshwar Kumar, ultimately getting him for a price of 10.75 crore.
Interestingly, Bhuvneshwar Kumar returns to RCB after being originally bought by the franchise in 2009, although he never played for them.
Given how challenging it is to bowl at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the right pick for RCB who could do the most challenging job in the league for them.
Kumar also brings in a wealth of experience. In 176 matches, Bhuvneshwar has picked up 181 wickets, at an average of 27.73. Last season, he scalped 11 wickets in 16 matches for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Trent Boult
Trent Boult
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New Zealand pacer Trent Boult makes a return to Mumbai Indians (MI), reuniting with Jasprit Bumrah to revive their successful partnership from the 2020 season.
The five-time IPL champions, who are well-acquainted with Boult's capabilities having previously played for them in IPL 2020 and 2021, showed relentless determination to bring Boult back. Despite a strong challenge from RR, Mumbai signed Boult for Rs 12.5 crore, marking one of the most expensive buys of the auction.
Boult’s match-winning spells for MI in 2020 and 2021 have cemented his reputation, and the team will hope for more of the same in 2025.
Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal
Credit: DH Photo
After being unsold in earlier rounds, Devdutt Padikkal was re-signed by RCB for his base price of Rs 2 crore during the accelerated process.
The left-handed opener rose to prominence with RCB in 2020 before racking 411 runs in the 2021 season following which he was released and joined Rajasthan Royals before being traded to Lucknow Super Giants in 2024. His return to RCB marks a fresh chapter at his old home ground, Chinnaswamy.