The Indian Premier League (IPL) has captivated audiences of all ages. The thrilling experience is awaited, with fans marking calendars and altering schedules to watch every ball, especially when their favourite teams are on the field. The crowd’s excitement is visible in their loud cheers at the stadium. This article explores the history & Interesting Facts About IPL 2025 you probably didn’t know.
History of IPL
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) founded the Indian Premier League, or IPL, in 2008 as a professional Twenty20 cricket league. It has emerged as one of the most popular leagues in the world, with participation from national and international players.
The playing teams represent different Indian cities. Initially, there were eight teams, but the number has now risen to ten. The tournament’s runtime is approximately two months and follows a round-robin format, followed by playoffs to arrive at the final rivalry.
Did You Know? – Interesting Facts About IPL 2025
- The first IPL match was played in 2008 between the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The rivalry wasn’t repeated as the opening game in any other edition of the competition until this year in 2025.
- The first ball of the IPL was bowled by Praveen Kumar and played by Saurav Ganguly.
- Brendon McCullum hit the championship’s first century.
- Zaheer Khan took the tournament’s first wicket, removing Saurav Ganguly.
- Brad Hogg, the former Australia left-arm leg spinner, was 45 years old in 2015 when he played his last series, making him the oldest player in the IPL.
- The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the Mumbai Indians (MI) are the most successful franchises, with five wins each in their glorious tally.
- RCB player Virat Kohli is the tournament’s highest run-getter, scoring 8004 runs in 252 matches. He is also the only player to have played all IPL seasons from the same team, completing 18 years with the franchise in 2025.
- Yuzvendra Chahal is the tournament’s highest wicket-taker, bagging 205 wickets in 160 games.
- CSK’s MS Dhoni has played 264 matches, the highest for a player in the competition.
- CSK was suspended from the tournament for two years, starting July 2015, because its owners were allegedly involved in the 2013 IPL betting case. The franchise re-joined in 2018 and made a smashing comeback by winning the season.
Surprising Auction Facts and Statistics – 2025
- A mega-auction is organised every three years. The event allows franchises to retain a few players (a maximum of six this time), with the rest added to the big auction pool.
- In other years, mini-auctions happen without restrictions on the number of players a franchise can retain.
- The 2025 mega-auction was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in November 2024. It was the second consecutive year that the auction was organised overseas. Last year, it was hosted by Dubai.
- The auction received 1,574 player registrations, but only 577 were shortlisted.
- Of the 577 players, 367 are Indians, and 210 are from overseas.
- Each team had a budget of ₹120 crore to acquire a minimum of 18 players and a maximum of 25 players, including at most eight overseas players.
- A player’s minimum base price was ₹30 lakh, while the maximum was ₹2 crore.
- A fresh IPL contract was handed over to 182 players, out of which 62 were overseas players.
- The most expensive player was Rishab Pant, bought for ₹27 crore by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
- Jos Buttler was the most expensive overseas player, sold to the Gujarat Titans (GT) for ₹15.75 crore.
- Rasikh Dar was the most expensive uncapped player, bought for ₹6 crore by RCB.
- Shreyas Iyer was acquired by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) for ₹26.75 crore, the highest ever for the franchise.
- After spending on player retention, PBKS had the highest purse value worth ₹110.15 crore for the auction.
- Heinrich Klaasen was the most expensive retained player, securing ₹16 crore by the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
- Virat Kohli is the highest-paid retained Indian player at ₹15 crore for RCB.
- 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi was the youngest player auctioned in IPL history. He joined the Rajasthan Royals for ₹1.1 crore.
The IPL has transformed the ‘gentlemen’s game,’ uniquely blending entertainment, passion, and skills to keep fans on the edge of their seats. The ongoing 18th season promises to be thrilling, filled with high-octane cricketing action, record-breaking performances, and unforgettable moments.