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The third edition of the Delhi Premier League (DPL) moved a step closer with the player auction taking place at a five-star hotel in New Delhi on Tuesday. Each of the eight franchises entered the auction with a purse of ₹1.5 crore to assemble their squads for the upcoming season, the schedule for which is yet to be announced.

The auction featured a mix of promising young cricketers, returning performers and players carrying well-known family names, while several franchises also exercised their Right to Match (RTM) option to retain key members of their squads.

One of the final names to go under the hammer was 16-year-old Vedant Sehwag, the younger son of former India opener Virender Sehwag. Central Delhi Kings secured the off-spinning all-rounder for his base price of ₹1 lakh after he re-entered the auction pool following his stint with West Delhi Lions last season.

Unlike his father, Vedant has earned early recognition primarily through his bowling, including a four-wicket haul for Delhi Under-16 in the 2024 Vijay Merchant Trophy against Punjab.

His elder brother, Aaryavir Sehwag, also changed franchises after being bought by West Delhi Lions for ₹3 lakh. Aaryavir had previously joined Central Delhi Kings for ₹8 lakh following an intense bidding contest in the previous auction.

Meanwhile, 16-year-old Aaryaveer Kohli, nephew of former India captain Virat Kohli, was picked up by Central Delhi Kings after representing South Delhi Superstarz in the previous season.

North Delhi Strikers retained Sarthak Ranjan for ₹17 lakh by using their RTM card after another strong domestic campaign. The right-handed batter amassed 449 runs in nine matches during the previous DPL season, including one century and four half-centuries, performances that earned him an IPL contract with Kolkata Knight Riders worth ₹30 lakh before the 2026 season.

The biggest purchase of the auction belonged to Tejaswi Dahiya, who was signed by South Delhi Superstarz for ₹40 lakh, making him the most expensive player this year. Dahiya, who comes from a non-cricketing family, enjoyed a breakthrough campaign by scoring 339 runs at a strike rate approaching 200 before earning a ₹3 crore IPL contract with Kolkata Knight Riders. His rise underlined the DPL's growing reputation as a pathway for emerging talent to higher levels of cricket.