The Indian Premier League opens its "mega-auction" later Sunday in Saudi Arabia with teams primed to splash out millions of dollars on world-class cricketers for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

A total of 12 marquee players, including Indian stars like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have created a lot of buzz within the cricket fraternity.

A total of 1,574 players will go under the hammer in the upcoming IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday and Monday which includes 1,165 Indian players and 409 overseas players, all competing for a place in the world`s premier T20 league.

Ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have retained six players but they were not able to retain their skipper Shreyas Iyer. KKR think tank will have to be smart with their decisions in the mega auction in Jeddah,

The two-day auction beginning Sunday in Jeddah is the first cricketing event of this stature to be hosted in Saudi Arabia, a country with an under-served fanbase for the sport among millions of South Asian migrant workers.

Saudi Arabia hosts this year's Indian Premier League player auction in a partnership between a money-spinning cricket tournament expanding its global reach and a kingdom using sports to improve its image.

USA's Saurabh Netravalkar, England's Jofra Archer and uncapped Indian Hardik Tamore are the three players who have been added in the list of 574 names in IPL 2025 mega auction list.

The 10 franchises will have a total auction purse of Rs 641.5 crore after spending over Rs 550 crore in retaining players ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.

Jos Buttler and Kagiso Rabada, are set to be auctioned for the 2025 Indian Premier League on November 24th and 25th. The auction will feature a mix of seasoned veterans and emerging talent, with 204 slots available across all franchises.