The Indian Premier League player auction for the 2025 season concluded in Jeddah on Monday and, once again, it did not disappoint.
The dynamics of the exercise are such that budget constraints, bidding pressure and recent bias results in some extraordinary acquisitions and also questionable omissions. It is what it is, although there was a bit more structure to the proceedings in Saudi Arabia.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer were in the auction pool and guaranteed to attract the highest bids as both are solid middle-order batsmen with leadership qualities; Shreyas had guided Kolkata to the title last season.
Pant became the most expensive player in the history of the league as he was bought by Lucknow Super Giants for a staggering $3.2 million.
He broke the record that was earlier set by Shreyas, who went to Punjab Kings for $3.1m. Those two were among many incredible decisions made by franchises during the two-day auction.
Is Venkatesh Iyer worth $2.8m?
The most incredible bid was that for all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer, who went back to Kolkata Knight Riders for $2.8 million. The IPL champions were desperate to retain his services, which begs the question why was he not among the five retentions allowed per team, before the auction. And that, too, for a lesser amount.
Similarly, T20 World Cup winner Arshdeep Singh returned to Punjab Kings, who had offloaded their entire squad bar two uncapped names. Arshdeep was snapped up by Punjab for $2.1m, which again raises the question why was he not retained in the first place?
While Arshdeep is a proven T20 star and a world champion, Venkatesh has not delivered anywhere near that level to warrant such attention.
Virat Kohli set to return as RCB captain
There are very few constants in T20 cricket, but you could almost be sure of Royal Challengers Bengaluru disappointing their large fan base with another haphazard recruitment drive. Not this time though.
RCB made deliberate attempts to plug some major gaps in the squad. The recruitment of devastating opener Phil Salt solves long-standing issues at the top, with Virat Kohli now free to play at his own pace. They brought in fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to provide control with the ball, and have also picked a number of hard-hitting spin bowling all-rounders.
However, Bengaluru inexplicably did not pursue local star KL Rahul, who had expressed his desire to play at his home and who could have easily solved their batting and even captaincy issues. As the squad stands, Kohli is the only name who can be even considered for the captaincy role, which will make for a blockbuster 2025 season. And even overshadow the craze around MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings.
A 13-year-old in IPL
At just 13 years of age, Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the youngest cricketer to be bought in an IPL auction.
The young left-handed batsman from the eastern Indian state of Bihar was taken up by Rajasthan Royals for $130,000.
Suryavanshi made his first-class debut in January aged 12 and was recently selected in the India Under-19 squad that played four-day matches against a touring Australian team in Chennai. He has also scored a triple century in an Under-19 ODI tournament.
However, it would be unfair to expect a 13-year-old to face international bowlers in the nets, let alone in matches. Possibly, he is a star of the future, and Rajasthan want to have him early.
End of the road for David Warner and Prithvi Shaw?
It's not just the big bids that got all the attention. Some famous names were overlooked at the auction, the main ones being Australia's veteran batsman David Warner and India's controversial opener Prithvi Shaw.
Warner has made conflicting statements about his retirement and had struggled in the 2024 season with Delhi. He is 38, so is unlikely to get better or play for much longer, which made the lack of interest in him understandable.
The fall of Shaw, however, is disconcerting as the Mumbai batsman has slipped way down the pecking order very early in his career.
Shaw's clear technical deficiencies, poor fitness record and alleged disciplinary issues have worked against him. He was even removed from his state team. Unless the opening batsman transforms himself drastically, in fitness and temperament, a bright young talent could soon be lost.
Pay correction for local talent
IPL has not always been exactly fair when it comes to pay. Over the years, some players would strike gold in the auction but would fail consistently, while those performing well above their pay grade would have to wait years to command worthy salaries - Jasprit Bumrah and Rinku Singh landed mega million-dollar contracts only this year. Also, some overseas players began to make themselves available only for the mini auction in order to get the biggest contracts due to a limited pool of players.
In order to plug those gaps, the Indian board made it mandatory for all interested players to be available for the main auction. Also, teams have started to shift their focus towards Indian players, realising that a quality local core will consistently beat star-studded teams over a long enough timeline.
During this year's auction, the top five most expensive players were Indian. Overseas talent was in demand but there are few players who franchises desperately need. And many of them had already been retained. Which makes sense as you can only field four overseas players in the XI. Fewer, if you want to.
Also, the BCCI has introduced match fees, which is for the benefit for uncapped players who don't get the top contract due to tournament regulations. All of which made it a good auction cycle for Indian players.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures
Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)
Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy
Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy
Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy
Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Union Berlin (5.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Hertha Berlin v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Freiburg (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Monchengladbach (8.30pm)
Sunday
Mainz v Augsburg (5.30pm)
Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (8pm)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mission%3A%20Impossible%20-%20Dead%20Reckoning%20Part%20One
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Christopher%20McQuarrie%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tom%20Cruise%2C%20Hayley%20Atwell%2C%20Pom%20Klementieff%2C%20Simon%20Pegg%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
Read more about the coronavirus
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More on animal trafficking
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
More coverage from the Future Forum
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
heading
Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
ARM%20IPO%20DETAILS
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
