The IPL 2025 mega auction is undergoing in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as it started on  November 24 and will transpire till November 25.  The high-octane two-day event will decide the future of 574 players from around the globe. The IPL 2025 mega auction is hosted by 48-year-old Mallika Sagar as she continues her duty after creating history in the IPL 2024 auction. She also became the first female IPL auctioneer, replacing Hugh Edmeades, who hosted the event from 2019 to 2022.


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Sagar chipped in as an IPL auctioneer during the 2023 auction, when she took the place of  Edmeades after he became unconscious in the middle of an event. After a while, the BCCI appointed Mallika Sagar as a full-time IPL auctioneer. 


Mallika Sagar comes from a business background in Mumbai. She completed her studies in art history at Bryn Mawr College in Philadelphia, USA, and started her career in 2001 at the prestigious auction house Christie’s, at the age of 26. She started her career as an auctioneer with the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) back in 2021 and also became the first female auctioneer. 


“And, perhaps, a bit frivolously, I thought: ‘That’s what I want to be,’” Sagar told Al Jazeera.


 “It was in my junior year in college that I saw a live auction for the first time, which is quite a fascinating and engaging experience.”


“Be more prepared so you are aware of the context in which you are offering the players – such as pronunciation of their names, and other details because each player gets offered or showcased individually. So it’s up to me to make sure that they have the best possible chance. It’s a heightened sensitivity to compensate for the fact that you are moving from artworks or inanimate objects to players whose careers will depend on what will happen in the next few minutes,” she added.