Among the standout names are Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, and KL Rahul, part of the 12 marquee players. These three captains were released by their respective franchises ahead of the retention deadline.

A total of 574 players are up for grabs with Indian wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant, England veteran James Anderson and New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra among the top names in contention at the two-day auction in Jeddah.

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.

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.

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.

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.