Big-money signings at auction guarantees IPL franchises one of two outcomes – high rewards or anguish. The IPL 2025 season approaches its midway point in late April and fans are yet to see some of their side’s expensive signings show up in any game. High-profile signings were made at the IPL 2025 auction with star players costing up to ₹27 crore in some cases.
Few expensive stars have performed; however, the bulk of big-money players leave fans bewildered with horrible outings game after game. Let’s check out some of the top players who are yet to make a case for their high price tags at IPL 2025.
1. Rishabh Pant (₹27 Crore | Lucknow Super Giants)
Many fans heaved a sigh of relief when Team India cricketer Rishabh Pant became the IPL’s most-expensive player by securing a ₹27 Crore at auction. The cricketer navigated a tough recovery period after sustaining injuries in a freak car accident in December 2022. However, Pant has not been the player he once was in recent seasons and is currently struggling at IPL 2025 with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
Pant has only 106 runs to show for his big-money move to so far. The wicketkeeper-batter’s form is currently downwind with a measly 13.25 average and 96.36 strike rate. His standout performance so far in this competition is a 63-run knock vs a struggling Chennai Super Kings (CSK) side.
Rishabh continues to receive heavy criticism for his lacklustre on-field showing and LSG’s decision to feature him at No. 7.
2. Venkatesh Iyer (₹23.75 Crore | Kolkata Knight Riders)
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) won IPL 2024 and decided to not retain their skipper Shreyas Iyer and southpaw Venkatesh Iyer. Shreyas went on to sign for another franchise while KKR spent ₹23.75 Crore to keep Venkatesh in Kolkata for another season. However, the player is yet to put in any remarkable performance after commanding such a huge price tag at auction.
135 runs midway into IPL 2025 (139.17 strike rate and 22.50 average) across 8 matches seems like a waste to KKR fans. Venkatesh continues to struggle in lower-order batting and has received support from experts to move up in positions and secure more runs.
3. Heinrich Klaasen (₹23 Crore retained | Sunrisers Hyderabad)
IPL franchises were ready to enter protracted bidding wars for Heinrich Klaasen’s signature before this season. However, IPL 2024 finalists Sunrisers Hyderabad decided to retain the wicketkeeper-batter for ₹23 Crore. His retention made waves pre-auction; however, Klaasen is yet to justify earning such a huge sum on the pitch.
Seven (7) straight games without a half-century is not something you’d expect from a high-value signing like Klaasen. The cricketer has managed 210 runs in 7 appearances so far, with his highest performance being a 37-run knock.
4. Ravindra Jadeja (₹18 Crore retained | Chennai Super Kings)
CSK paid top-dollar to retain Ravindra Jadeja in an ₹18 Crore deal. The cricketer has not been at his best since signing this retention deal with just 145 runs and 5 wickets to his name in 8 games.
Jadeja’s batting lacks its usual fluid approach and he continues to struggle against spinners this season.
5. Yuzvendra Chahal (₹18 Crore | Punjab Kings)
Recent reports tagged Punjab Kings (PBKS) pacer Yuzvendra Chahal as an “₹18 crore mistake” after a string of shockingly-poor performances from the Indian international. Chahal’s performances have somewhat improved since this tag was pasted on him by the media; however, fan expectations suggest that he can do much more.
He continues to navigate his career in franchise cricket after a public divorce and obvious dip in form. Fans expect the talented bowler to rise to the challenge at some point, even if it may not be in this season.
6. Rohit Sharma (₹16.30 Crore retained | Mumbai Indians)
Rohit Sharma is one of the IPL’s most-successful players of all-time with six trophies to his name so far. He led the Mumbai Indians (MI) to all five of their titles, but Sharma’s on-pitch progress has stalled in recent seasons. The former MI skipper (stepped down for Hardik Pandya in 2024) bagged a ₹16.3 Crore deal at the IPL 2025 auction.
However, 158 runs from 7 innings have seen fans question his continued inclusion in top-order batting lineups. These fans also wonder why the player continues to command such high price tags after repeat failures in his position. He has one half-century so far (76 from 45 balls against CSK).
