Meet Indian cricketer who got 5500 percent hike at IPL auction 2025, will play alongside Virat Kohli

The IPL franchises spared no expense at the IPL 2025 mega-auction, with a whopping 21 players earning Rs 10 crore or more. Rishabh Pant stole the show as the most expensive pick, securing a jaw-dropping Rs 27 crore deal with Lucknow Super Giants. Following closely behind was Shreyas Iyer, who landed a hefty Rs 26.75 crore contract with Punjab Kings.

Among the players who saw significant pay increases, Jitesh Sharma stood out with an incredible 5500 percent hike. The wicketkeeper-batsman, previously with Punjab Kings on a salary of Rs 20 lakh as a capped player, found himself in high demand at the IPL 2025 mega-auction. Ultimately, he signed with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for a staggering Rs 11 crore.

A bidding war ensued between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for Jitesh, with Delhi Capitals (DC) also entering the fray. After LSG dropped out, RCB and CSK continued to battle it out, with RCB ultimately securing Jitesh for Rs 7 crore. However, PBKS exercised their Right to Match card, ultimately matching RCB's bid of Rs 11 crore.

Jitesh was not the sole recipient of a substantial raise in this year's IPL auction. While no one else saw a salary increase as significant as Jitesh's in terms of percentage, there were other cricketers who received higher pay raises. All-rounder Venkatesh Iyer emerged as the top earner in monetary terms, with Kolkata Knight Riders shelling out a staggering Rs 23.75 crore to secure his return to their squad. This amount represents a substantial increase of Rs 15.75 crore from his previous salary of ₹8 crore.

Shreyas Iyer also experienced a significant salary boost, with his earnings rising by Rs 14.50 crore. While KKR had paid him Rs 12.25 crore in the previous mega auction in 2022, this time around, Punjab Kings acquired the IPL-winning captain for a hefty sum of Rs 26.75 crore, marking a remarkable increase of over 200 percent in his salary.

Another notable beneficiary of the auction was Arshdeep Singh, India's T20I specialist. Despite being unexpectedly released by Punjab Kings before the mega auction, the franchise utilized the Right to Match (RTM) card to reacquire him for Rs 18 crore. This figure represents a substantial increase of Rs 14 crore, equivalent to a staggering 3500 percent, from his previous price of Rs 4 crore.

Jitesh will now be playing alongside Virat Kohli at RCB, potentially under Virat's captaincy in IPL 2025. Jitesh will be stepping into the shoes of retired veteran Dinesh Karthik, who has since joined RCB's coaching staff. Known for his aggressive playing style, Jitesh has an impressive record of 2566 runs in 123 matches with a strike rate of 149.09, representing Vidarbha in domestic cricket.

In addition to PBKS, Jitesh has also been associated with Mumbai Indians (MI) but did not get a chance to play for them. He was part of the IPL 2017-winning MI squad lead by Rohit Sharma.

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