Over the course of the last 18 years, the IPL has seen a number of surprising bids.
Over the course of the last 18 years, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has changed the T20 cricket landscape in a way that one can only imagine. The league has been responsible for bringing in a lot of money into the game. On the other hand, the most expensive players in IPL auction have also told the spectators a unique story each year.
The IPL has very much been one of the first leagues around which every other franchise league drew inspiration from. Widely regarded as one of the richest leagues in the world, the competition provides a wonderful platform for budding talent to showcase their skills in front of the world. Over the period of the last 18 years, the IPL has been responsible for unearthing many talents, some of which have gone on to represent their respective countries.
Apart from the cricketing aspect, the league has also given a lot of stability to players in terms of their growth. In the process, there have been bids in the IPL auction over the years that have raised a lot of eyebrows and have skyrocketed – which is also a sign of how successful the league has been for a long time since its inception.
Many foreign and domestic stars have received bids from the auction table of various franchises that have gone up the roof. Though the amount that a franchise is ready to pay a player depends hugely on the demand and supply forces that drive the auction dynamics, the emotion around the narrative is so high, that people often get carried away just looking at the amounts which are humongous.
As a result, here are the most expensive players in IPL auction, right from the inception of the coveted tournament till date. The mini-auction for the 19th edition of the IPL will take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi. So there isn’t a lot of time for the table to get updated.
| Season | Player(s) | Amount (in INR) | Franchise |
| 2008 | MS Dhoni | 6 Crore | CSK |
| 2009 | Kevin Pietersen / Andrew Flintoff | 7.55 Crore | RCB / CSK |
| 2010 | Shane Bond / Kieron Pollard | 4.8 Crore | KKR / MI |
| 2011 | Gautam Gambhir | 11.04 Crore | KKR |
| 2012 | Ravindra Jadeja | 12.8 Crore | CSK |
| 2013 | Glenn Maxwell | 6.3 Crore | MI |
| 2014 | Yuvraj Singh | 14 Crore | RCB |
| 2015 | Yuvraj Singh | 16 Crore | DD |
| 2016 | Shane Watson | 9.5 Crore | RCB |
| 2017 | Ben Stokes | 14.5 Crore | RPS |
| 2018 | Ben Stokes | 12.5 Crore | RR |
| 2019 | Jaydev Unadkat / Varun Chakravarthy | 8.4 Crore | RR / KKR |
| 2020 | Pat Cummins | 15.5 Crore | KKR |
| 2021 | Chris Morris | 16.25 Crore | RR |
| 2022 | Ishan Kishan | 15.25 Crore | MI |
| 2023 | Sam Curran | 8.5 Crore | PBKS |
| 2024 | Mitchell Starc | 24.75 Crore | KKR |
| 2025 | Rishabh Pant | 27 Crore | LSG |
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The amount being paid for the most expensive player at the auction keeps increasing year on year, until a point where it starts resonating with inflation. However, it is important to understand what drives the auction prices along with the dynamics, and not get carried away with the amounts that appear on screen.
A player who is being paid a humongous sum after being acquired in the auction is a result of multiple factors. Though it is not a very simple game of demand and supply, most factors delve down to the same. The amount a player is paid for is directly proportional to the need in the squad for that particular player..
For instance, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) need Cameron Green as much as any other team this season. And hence, they would go berserk behind the all-rounder.
Another factor to consider is that the cost at which a player is acquired is the result of multiple franchises bidding for the player – which takes the amount up with every single bid. Hence, it cannot be derived as a direct correlation of what a player is worth, just by looking at the final amount for which he is acquired.
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