IPL 2025’s Hidden Gems and Costly Flops for Each Team — Part 2
In the IPL 2025, the teams had a great contest with each other, not just on the field but at the auction table as well. Some players were able to receive big checks as teams went on a bidding war for them. But their performances didn't come up to their money, while the other picks did the opposite.
The IPL teams analysed on the basis of their auction picks before the season, and the performances given by them turned out to be truly opposite. Players who got big paychecks from their teams were not able to deliver, while some other underrated stars were able to give their best to the team, coming as the top picks for them.
In part 1, we already discussed five teams and their costly flops and hidden gems in the current season. Let’s now take a look at the remaining teams and the flops they had in the IPL 2025 season, compared with some of their underrated picks.
Mumbai Indians
Mumbai Indians had already picked their main players and the match winners in the retention, as the remaining squad was completed by them in the auction. Having some of the top players in their line-up, Mumbai Indians also utilised their players well, as they finished at the Qualifier 2 in the current season.
Will Jacks, the all-rounder who dominated for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the previous season, was bought by Mumbai for a total of 5.25 crore INR. Playing 13 matches for the team this season, Jacks scored just 233 runs at an average of 23.30 and a strike rate of 135.46, including a half-century. With the bowl, he took 6 wickets throughout the season, at an average of 20 and an economy of 8.57.
Ashwani Kumar, the young spinner, was bought by the Mumbai Indians for just 30 lakh INR, and he proved to be the underrated pick for the team. Playing 7 matches, Ashwani took 11 wickets in 7 matches at an average of 21.09, and an economy rate of 11.31 runs per over. Along with that, his best bowling figures were 4/24 this season against the defending champions KKR.
Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings had a stellar season in IPL 2025, as they also entered the Mega Auction having the highest funds as compared to the other teams. Thus, they gained an advantage in the bidding war, which further helped them to get the key players into their lineup. The season also went great for PBKS under Shreyas Iyer, as they reached the finals after 11 seasons and ended as the runners-up.
Glenn Maxwell, who is known as the most overrated player in IPL history, was released by RCB and bought by PBKS for a total of 4.20 crore INR. Although he changed teams, he forgot to change his form, as Maxwell scored 48 runs in 7 matches at an average of 8 and a strike rate of 97.95, as he also took 4 wickets at an average of 27.50 and an economy of 8.46.
Harpreet Brar, on the other hand, was bought by the team for a total of 1.50 crore INR, and he gave the right value of money to them, being an underrated pick. Playing 8 matches for PBKS this season, Brar took 10 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 19, and an economy rate of 8.63 runs per over.
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals thought of making several changes to their line-ups and even looked strong after the completion of the Mega Auction. Under the leadership of new coach Rahul Dravid, the team was thought to be strong but failed to perform well, due to which they finished at the 9th spot in the standings, being the 2nd team to be eliminated from the season.
Jofra Archer, the man who was dominant in the IPL a few years back, was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for a total of 12.50 crore INR in the auction. Thinking that he could deliver big, the team heavily relied on him, but Archer ended up taking just 11 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 39.18, and his economy went at 9.47 runs per over. Along with that, Archer also conceded 76 runs in a spell, breaking the worst IPL record of conceding the most runs in a spell.
On the other hand, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, the 14-year-old, became the underrated pick for the Rajasthan Royals, as he delivered his best performances even against the toughest bowlers. In the IPL 2025 season, he ended up scoring 252 runs in 7 matches at an average of 36, including a century and a half-century. Besides that, Vaibhav also won the Super Striker of the Season award, having a strike rate of 206.55.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Although fans and analysts criticised Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a great extent ahead of the IPL Mega Auction, the team was able to silence all the critics with its performances. Delivering their best this season, RCB was able to lift its maiden title in 18 years under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar, under whom they also won all the away games.
In search of some overseas all-rounders, RCB bought Liam Livingstone to their lineup for a total of 8.75 crore INR. But he also became a costly flop for the team, as he scored just 112 runs in 10 matches at an average of 16 and a strike rate of 133.33, and he also took just 2 wickets at an average of 38 and an economy rate of 8.44 runs per over.
On the other hand, the team also brought another all-rounder to their line-up, as Romario Shepherd joined the squad for 1.50 crore INR. He played just 8 matches for the team but proved his worth in important games, scoring 70 runs at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 291.66, and took 6 wickets at an average of 25.16 with an economy rate of 10.78 runs per over.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Sunrisers Hyderabad, the team that finished as the runners-up in the previous season, also increased the fan expectations with its retention and auction list. Having the top-notch strikers with experienced bowlers, the team still failed to perform well in the tournament, finishing in 6th place with 6 wins in 14 matches.
Mohammad Shami, the star Indian pacer, was bought by the team for a whopping total of 10 crore INR, as he performed well even in the ICC Champions Trophy. But Shami came in as a costly flop this season, taking just 6 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 56.16, and an economy rate of 11.23, making it his worst IPL season till now.
On the other hand, Eshan Malinga, the Sri Lankan uncapped pacer, was bought by SRH for just 1.20 crore INR. He was able to deliver his performances well, taking an impressive total of 13 wickets in just 7 matches at an average of 18.30, and an economy rate of 8.92 runs per over. Malinga has made sure that he’ll be getting high bids in the upcoming IPL auction if SRH releases him.
Although a few players took big bucks from their respective teams in the IPL auction but didn’t deliver well, these underrated picks levelled the money with their form to enhance their team’s performances.
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