The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most entertaining and watched T20 tournament in the world. Not only has this tournament changed the landscape of Indian cricket, but it has also ensured that cricketers worldwide get handsomely rewarded. The IPL auction is held yearly so all franchises can pick players to strengthen their squads. The franchises go after the players they want; in the process, they can make the players rich and overnight sensations.
Most Expensive Players in IPL Auction
The Aussie dominance was at the forefront of the 2024 IPL auction, with Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc getting all the moolah. While Kolkata Knight Riders snapped up Starc for a whopping ₹24.75 crores, Cummins was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹20.50 crores.
The following is a list of five of the most expensive players in IPL auction:
Mitchell Starc – ₹24.75 crores (Kolkata Knight Riders):
Starc quickly became the man of the moment when his name was announced in the auction. First, there was a sigh from the crowd, and soon after, teams went after him, and his base price multiplied with every minute. Delhi Capitals had called for him at his base price of ₹2 crores, but then Mumbai Indians got into a two-way battle for the Aussie pacer
Pat Cummins – ₹20.50 crores (Sunrisers Hyderabad):
Being the captain of the victorious Australian team that beat India in the 2023 ODI World Cup final, Pat Cummins was the man to watch out for the franchises. Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians were fighting for him initially. But his base prize multiplied from ₹2 crores to ₹5 crores. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) stepped up, and eventually, Sunrisers Hyderabad also came into the picture, with Cummins’ price now being ₹8 crores.
From here on, it was a fight to the finish, with Sunrisers Hyderabad coming up with a countermove for every move that the Bengaluru outfit made. Eventually, RCB dropped out, and Cummins went to the Sunrisers for ₹20.50 crores, the highest ever for any player in IPL history until Starc overtook it within less than an hour.
Sam Curran – ₹18.5 Crore (Punjab Kings)
Sam Curran, the talented English all-rounder, is the most expensive player in the IPL auction, going for ₹18.5 crore in the IPL 2023 auction. Many IPL teams went after this star all-rounder, but the Punjab Kings bagged him for a hefty amount. From a base price of ₹2 crore, Sam Curran became the most expensive buy in IPL history. He could not justify his price tag in the IPL 2023 season, scoring 276 runs and picking up just ten wickets.
Here are a few reasons why Punjab Kings paid a record fee for the Englishman at the 2023 auction:
- Curran won the Player of the Tournament award in the 2022 T20 World Cup.
- The all-rounder has prior IPL experience, representing Punjab Kings in 2019 and Chennai Super Kings in 2020 and 2021 seasons.
- In the IPL 2019 season, Curran took a hat-trick.
- Curran has 14 T20 half-centuries and a batting strike rate of over 130.
Cameron Green – ₹17.5 Crore (Mumbai Indians)
The Mumbai Indians (MI) team is known for its tactical bidding strategies and going after players who would go on and make a mark in the global arena. The team is always ready to pay massive amounts for players who can be game-changers, and it showed the same while buying the star Australian all-rounder Cameron Green in the IPL 2023 auction. The franchise paid ₹17.5 crore, making the Aussie one of the most expensive players in the IPL auction. He had a fantastic IPL 2023 season, scoring 452 runs and picking up six wickets. The youngster also managed to score a century in his maiden IPL season.
Ben Stokes – ₹16.25 Crore (Chennai Super Kings)
Ben Stokes, the best all-rounder in the current generation, will always be on the radar of IPL teams. The New Zealand-born cricketer went to Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who bought him for a massive ₹16.25 crore in the 2023 auction. However, Stokes couldn’t make an impact in his first IPL season with CSK, as he played only two matches due to a toe injury and went home after the franchise’s league stage fixtures. It was the second time Stokes received a huge IPL paycheck as the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant paid ₹14.5 crore to acquire his services in the 2017 auction.
Here’s a list of the top 5 expensive Indian and uncapped players in IPL auction history:
Most Expensive Indian Players in IPL Auction (Top 3)
Most Expensive Uncapped Players in IPL Auction (Top 3)
Concluding Thoughts
When it comes to the most expensive players in IPL auction, Curran tops the list with ₹18.5 crore. IPL franchises want the best team and will go after players who balance the squad and take the team over the line.
FAQs about Most Expensive Players in IPL Auction
Who are the top five most expensive players in IPL auction history?
Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Sam Curran, Cameron Green, and Ben Stokes are the top five most expensive players in IPL auction history.
Who is the most expensive Indian player in the IPL auction history?
Yuvraj Singh is the most expensive Indian player in the IPL auction history. He was bought by Deli Daredevils for a fee of ₹16 crore.
Who is the highest paid uncapped player in IPL auction history?
Avesh Khan is the highest paid uncapped player in IPL auction history. Lucknow Super Giants acquired the fast bowler for ₹10 crore in 2022 auction.
