The Indian Premier League opens its "mega-auction" later Sunday in Saudi Arabia with teams primed to splash out millions of dollars on world-class cricketers for the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

IOL Sport looks at five South African who could start a bidding war during the Indian Premier League’s mega auction.

A total of 12 marquee players, including Indian stars like Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and KL Rahul have created a lot of buzz within the cricket fraternity.

The list will include the two sets of marquee players, marked from Player No. 1 to 12. Sets 3-7 will cover capped batters, fast bowlers, wicketkeepers, all-rounders and spin bowlers. A round of uncapped specialists in the same categories will also be called out on the first day from player No. 47 (Yash Dhull) to 84 (Manav Suthar).

The auction marks Saudi Arabia's first major play in cricket, though the foundations have been laid gradually. Prince Mishal bin Saud Al-Saud, chairman of the Saudi Arabia Cricket

Ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have retained six players but they were not able to retain their skipper Shreyas Iyer. KKR think tank will have to be smart with their decisions in the mega auction in Jeddah,

USA's Saurabh Netravalkar, England's Jofra Archer and uncapped Indian Hardik Tamore are the three players who have been added in the list of 574 names in IPL 2025 mega auction list.

Jos Buttler and Kagiso Rabada, are set to be auctioned for the 2025 Indian Premier League on November 24th and 25th. The auction will feature a mix of seasoned veterans and emerging talent, with 204 slots available across all franchises.

The 10 franchises will have a total auction purse of Rs 641.5 crore after spending over Rs 550 crore in retaining players ahead of the IPL 2025 Mega Auction.