Lucknow: The UP T-20 League 2025 player auction was held at Centrum Hotel, Lucknow, where over 200 cricketers were up for grabs among six franchise teams. League chairman D.S. Chauhan confirmed that each team had a purse of ₹1.25 crore. Mini-auction star Karan Sharma was bought by Noida Kings for ₹17.5 lakh, while Kartik Tyagi went to Meerut Mavericks for ₹16.25 lakh both starting with a base price of ₹5 lakh.
The auction also saw Upendra Yadav picked up by Kashi Rudraaz for ₹13.5 lakh, and Shivam Chaudhary by Noida Kings for ₹10.75 lakh.
Among others, Owais Ahmad and Shoaib Siddiqui were sold for ₹10.25 lakh and ₹10 lakh respectively.
The 2025 season will be held from August 20 to September 13. Matches will take place at Ekana Stadium in Lucknow and Green Park in Kanpur, where the final will be hosted. Talent hunt programs across districts have helped discover several young players, now offered a stipend of ₹2 lakh to participate in the game.
Previously, Bhuvneshwar Kumar fetched ₹30.25 lakh, the highest bid in the league’s history. The UPCA also announced the continuation of six franchises and confirmed domestic tournaments like the Ranji Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy will also be hosted at Ekana Stadium later this year.
