Entering the 2025 IPL mega auction in Jeddah, all eyes were on us as we started with a clean slate and the biggest purse among all teams.

Starting with just two retained players and a new head coach in Australian legend Ricky Ponting, we made an explosive start, securing 10 players on an action-packed Day 1, featuring big names and a couple of exciting reunions. No team picked up more players than us on Day 1.

Day 2 was equally thrilling, as we added 13 more players, further strengthening our overseas core and bringing in some promising domestic talent.

Here’s how it went down:

Day 2

Marco Jansen – 7 Crore

Our first purchase of Day 2, Marco Jansen is now part of the den!

Unsurprisingly, we faced bidding competition from two other teams, but Jansen was always meant to be a King!

A man built for the big stage, Jansen starred for South Africa in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup.

The 24-year-old, who has played two seasons each with Mumbai and Hyderabad, will now bring his all-rounder skills to Mullanpur.

Standing at 2.06 meters tall, Jansen is a fierce bowler with 20 wickets in his IPL career so far. While his batting opportunities have been limited in the IPL, his big-hitting prowess was evident during the recently concluded T20I series against India, where he scored 102 runs, including a blistering 17-ball 54 in the third T20I.

Josh Inglis – 2.6 Crore

In his debut IPL season, English-born Australian Josh Inglis will don the red and gold!

Although he’s new to the tournament, Inglis is renowned for his big hitting, having impressed for both Australia and the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League.

He boasts a strike rate of 156 in T20Is, with two centuries in 28 innings for Australia. His first century came against India in Visakhapatnam in November 2023, when he hammered 110 off just 55 balls.

The power-hitter also strengthens our strong Australian core alongside Maxwell and Stoinis.

As our third wicket-keeping purchase in the auction, Inglis’ work behind the stumps will be crucial and provides a great rotational option along with Prabhsimran Singh.

Inglis is a versatile batsman, capable of opening the innings or bolstering the middle order as needed.

Lockie Ferguson – 2 Crore

Lockie Ferguson is locked in for Punjab!

Our third buy of the day, we secured him at his base price to bolster our pace department.

The New Zealand bowler made his IPL debut in 2017 and has played seven seasons, taking 46 wickets in 45 games for four teams.

Ferguson made history at the 2024 T20 World Cup, becoming the first player to bowl four maidens in a game. After claiming a T20I hat-trick against Sri Lanka earlier this month, we’re eager to see Fergie bring that form to Mullanpur.

Azmatullah Omarzai – 2 Crore

We continued to strengthen our pace department by acquiring Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai.

The 24-year-old made his IPL debut in 2024, playing seven games with Gujarat Titans, where he took four wickets.

His ability to swing the ball both ways, combined with his handy batting, makes him an excellent addition for us in the upcoming season.

Harnoor Pannu – 30 Lakh

Our first Indian purchase of the day, local lad Harnoor Pannu, impressed with his stylish left-hand batting in the Sher-E-Punjab trophy and joined us at his base price of 30 lakhs.

Kuldeep Sen – 80 Lakh

After three seasons with Rajasthan, where he picked up 14 wickets in 12 games, Kuldeep Sen is now part of our fiery bowling unit.

Starting at a base price of 30 lakh, we faced competition in the bidding, but ultimately secured him with an 80 lakh bid.

Priyansh Arya – 3.8 Crore

We fought off several teams and won the tug-of-war for 23-year-old Priyansh Arya.

The young batsman was the top run-scorer for Delhi in the 2023 Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy, amassing 356 runs in 11 games at an impressive strike rate of 167.

He’s now all set to make his IPL debut in red and gold.

Aaron Hardie – 2 Crore

The all-rounder from Down Under becomes the fourth Australian in our squad.

With his batting prowess and effectiveness with the ball in the middle overs, Hardie could be our X-factor.

Musheer Khan – 30 Lakh

19-year-old Musheer Khan begins his IPL journey in Mullanpur.

A breakout star in 2024, Khan impressed at the Under-19 World Cup with 360 runs and seven wickets, before following it up with a record-breaking 181 in the Duleep Trophy.

Suryansh Shedge – 30 Lakh

From Mumbai to Mullanpur! The 21-year-old, who scored 343 runs this year in the Ranji Trophy, will now represent the red and gold after we secured him at his base price.

Xavier Bartlett – 80 Lakh

After making his debut for Australia earlier this year, Xavier Bartlett brings his skills to the IPL.

The 25-year-old fast bowler can be a force to reckon with and adds more depth to our pace attack.

Pyla Avinash – 30 Lakh

24-year-old Pyla Avinash joins us at his base price of 30 lakh and is set to begin his IPL journey.

With 189 runs in the 2024 Andhra Premier League, including a knock of 105*, he will be a valuable addition to our domestic batting lineup.

Praveen Dubey – 30 Lakh

Our final pick of the 2025 IPL Auction is Praveen Dubey, an all-rounder from Azamgarh.

Dubey is a talented leg-spinner who can also contribute with the bat down the order.

Day 1:

Arshdeep Singh – 18 Crore (RTM)

We kicked off the auction by bringing back Arshdeep Singh. Sunrisers Hyderabad placed an 18 crore bid for him, but we used our Right-To-Match (RTM) card to bring him back into the squad.

Arshdeep, the second-highest wicket-taker for India in T20Is, is as dominant for the national side as he is for us.

Shreyas Iyer – 26.75 Crore

One of the biggest names in the auction, Shreyas Iyer is now a Punjab King!

We broke the bank for the former IPL-winning captain, who has worked under our head coach Ricky Ponting and will undoubtedly be a force to reckon with.

Yuzvendra Chahal – 18 Crore

It’s great to have the second-highest wicket-taker for India on our team, and now we have the number one guy as well—Yuzvendra Chahal.

The experienced leg-spinner, also the highest wicket-taker in IPL history, will add more variation to our bowling attack.

Marcus Stoinis – 11 Crore

After Lucknow opted not to use their RTM, we secured Australian powerhouse Marcus Stoinis as our first overseas buy.

The 35-year-old has all the tools to be a game-changer, with 1866 runs and 463 wickets in the IPL. Stoinis is one to watch.

Glenn Maxwell – 4.20 Crore

Reunited, and it feels so good! Glenn Maxwell returns to the red and gold after RCB chose not to use their RTM on him.

Few players are as proven in the format as the big-hitting all-rounder, who can single-handedly win a match on his day.

Nehal Wadhera – 4.20 Crore

Our first uncapped player, local boy Nehal Wadhera, joins us after two seasons with Mumbai Indians.

Harpreet Brar – 1.50 Crore

Left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar continues with the Kings in his seventh IPL season after we secured him for 1.5 crore, up from a base price of 30 lakh.

Vishnu Vinod – 95 Lakh

Wicket-keeper batsman Vishnu Vinod will join us after we secured him in a bidding battle that started from his base price of 30 lakh.

Vyshak Vijaykumar – 1.8 Crore

After earning his maiden India call-up, Vyshak Vijaykumar joins us for what will be his third IPL season.

Yash Thakur – 1.6 Crore

Vidarbha pacer Yash Thakur, who picked up 24 wickets over the last two IPL seasons, was our final pick of Day 1.

With our squad now complete, we’ve successfully built a team with strong depth across the board.

Top-tier Indian core? Check.

Formidable overseas unit? Check.

Promising domestic talent? Check.

HYPE? CHECK.

The upcoming season promises to be thrilling, and we can’t wait to embark on this exciting journey with our incredible fans by our side!