Apart from record-breaking bids from the franchise for their targeted players’ acquisition, several established names took massive pay cuts, with the franchises renegotiating their value based on current form, role requirements, and squad balance, while looking at their remaining purse rather than past price tags.
The all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer suffered one of the biggest pay cuts of the event, dropping from an INR 23.75 crore deal with Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous season to just INR 7 crore when Royal Challengers Bengaluru snapped him, which is a 70% drop.
Apart from Ventakesh, other players, including Akash Deep (INR 8 crore to 1 crore), David Miller (INR 7.5 crore to INR 2 crore), Anrich Nortje (INR 6.5 crore to 2 crore), Wanindu Hasaranga (INR 5.25 crore to 2 crore), and Quinton de Kock (INR 3.6 crore to 1 crore), also witnessed sharp reductions in their auction prices, highlighting the franchises’ shift from big-name spending to budget-conscious.