10 most expensive players in IPL auction history

The Indian Premier League is one of the most popular and lucrative leagues in the world. It has spawned a slew of talented Indian cricketers who have gone on to make a name for themselves in international matches. It also boasts top-tier international players who have gained experience playing alongside and against some of the best players in the world.

From time to time, the IPL holds a player auction to bring in new players to the league. This year, the league has grown to ten teams, and it will hold a Mega Auction in which all of the teams will be able to establish a team from the scratch. In the Auctions or Drafts, several players have been purchased for a high price.

On the eve of its mega auction on Saturday, The Business Standard (TBS) takes a look at the 10 most expensive players in IPL auction history.

10) Rashid Khan – INR 15 Crores (2022)

The prodigious leg-spinner from Afghanistan has been one of the best T20 players in the world. He has been the most dangerous spinner in terms of quality, with a vast amount of experience from all leagues throughout the world. It came as a shocker to the fans when Sunrisers Hyderabad announced that they wouldn't be retaining their star spinner Rashid Khan for IPL 2022.

Rashid Khan has a strong IPL track record. He has 93 wickets at a remarkable economy rate of 6.33 in 76 matches. With his huge hits down the order, he's also proven crucial. His strike rate of 137 exemplifies this perfectly. He was picked by the new team, i.e., Ahmedabad for a huge amount of 15 Crores.

Rashid's variations with the ball are unrivalled. He hasn't been cracked by any of the batters since his debut. This is particularly impressive given that most mystery spinners get cracked after a significant quantity of cricket. He has already taken over 400 wickets in T20s and is on the verge of shattering a slew of records. He is an asset to any side he plays for, and Ahmedabad made the correct decision in signing him, even if it cost them a lot of money.

9) Hardik Pandya – INR 15 Crores (2022)

The Indian all-rounder has been in a slump of form and has been plagued by injuries, resulting in underwhelming performances. He was released from the Mumbai Indians after more than six years of service due to a streak of poor performances and his inability to bowl.

Hardik Pandya has been the mainstay of the Mumbai franchise in the middle order along with Kieron Pollard. He's put in some spectacular performances for Mumbai and has routinely finished games. His IPL record is impressive, with 1476 runs in 91 games and a fantastic strike rate of 153.91. His bowling has been solid as well, with an economy rate of 9.06, which is respectable for an all-rounder.

Hardik was selected in the draft by the Ahmedabad franchise for a whopping 15 crore. In addition, he has been named the franchise's captain. His main goal would be to redeem himself following a string of dismal performances. As a result, he'll be a player to keep an eye on in 2022.

8. Pat Cummins – INR 15.50 Crores (2020)

For a long time, Pat Cummins has been the best bowler in the ICC Test rankings. His outstanding performance in Test cricket earned him an IPL contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2020. For the fast bowler, a bidding war erupted between Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

During both of his years with KKR, he put in respectable performances. In terms of limited overs, his numbers are fairly respectable. His economy rate is 8.23, and he's a competent batter in the bottom of the order. In the year 2021, he had an incredible strike rate of 166.07, indicating his ability to bat well at the end.

He'll be one of the bowlers to keep an eye on in 2022 after being released by KKR ahead of the Mega Auctions. His ability to bowl in all parts of the game would make him a valuable addition to any organisation.

7) Yuvraj Singh – INR 16 Crores (2015)

The man of ICC tournaments for India, Yuvraj Singh, didn't have a fruitful career in the Indian Premier League. Before retiring in the year 2019, he was a part of a number of franchises. Punjab Kings, Pune Warriors India, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Capitals, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Mumbai Indians were among the teams he represented. Delhi Capitals (formerly Delhi Daredevils) acquired him for a hefty price of 16 crores, the highest auction bid at the time.

He wasn't successful for the Delhi franchise that year. With two fifties, he scored 248 runs and just took one wicket in the entire tournament as a bowler. As a result, in later auctions, he was released.

His most successful stint was with the Sunrisers when he was able to win one IPL trophy. He eventually retired from all forms of cricket in 2019 after only four matches with the Mumbai Indians. He was one of India's greatest all-rounders in the game's history.

6) Ravindra Jadeja – INR 16 Crores (2022)

The left-handed all-rounder from Chennai Super Kings is now the highest-paid player for the franchise, even ahead of their captain MS Dhoni. Ravindra Jadeja is termed to be the future captain of the franchise, therefore, he was selected as the first player to be retained by the franchise.

MS Dhoni, Jadeja's captain, has been credited with helping him progress as an all-rounder in limited-overs cricket. His IPL 2021 performance was outstanding, as he struck 227 runs at an average of 75.44. With a strike rate of 145.51, CSK decided to keep him for 16 crores.

His best performance in the IPL 2021 came against Harshal Patel when he scored 37 runs in a single over. His finishing skills have become more prominent, and, logically, a player of his caliber will be difficult to replace. As a result, Jadeja became one of the highest-paid players in IPL history.

5) Rishabh Pant – INR 16 Crores (2022)

The prolific wicketkeeping-batter from Delhi became one of the most expensive players in the year 2022. The Delhi Capitals paid a premium price of 16 crores to retain Pant. In addition, he was named captain of the franchise in 2021, succeeding Shreyas Iyer.

Rishabh Pant has been a standout performer for the Delhi franchise in the IPL over the years. With a strike rate of 147.46, he has amassed 2498 runs. He also brings wicketkeeping skills to the table, making him a versatile player.

His captaincy has been fairly decent last year where he led the Capitals to a playoffs finish. He has been instrumental in Delhi's redemption with his attacking brand of play. Because of his contributions, Delhi has qualified for the playoffs three times in a row. Therefore, he is an asset to the franchise because of his multifaceted abilities.

4) Rohit Sharma – INR 16 Crores (2022)

The current Indian limited-overs captain is one of the most expensive players this year. Rohit Sharma has been retained by the Mumbai Indians for a huge sum of 16 Crores. His success in bringing five trophies for the franchise has been the highlight of his career. Therefore, Mumbai would continue with him for the future expecting many more trophies around.

More than winning trophies, Rohit laid out a culture that converted many young Indian talents into international brute forces. His contribution in laying the ground for Indian talents and backing them with consistent opportunities made him different from other captains. His tactically sound moves as a captain are widely praised in the cricket fraternity.

On the batting front, he has been an excellent batter up the order. His consistent contributions with the bat laid the base for the team to capitalise. He is the third-highest run-getter in the league with 5611 runs. Such a player is a luxury to have because of his multifaceted skills.

3) Chris Morris – INR 16.25 Crores (2021)

The tall fast bowling all-rounder from South Africa was IPL's favourite guy in terms of earning money. After spending a lot of time in Delhi Capitals, Chris Morris was picked up by RCB in the year 2020 for a sum of 10 Crores. In the subsequent year, he was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for a huge sum of 16.25 Crores.

This amount made him the most expensive overseas player in the history of IPL. His multidimensional abilities to be excellent with both the bat and ball made him a prodigy. He was always in the radar of the franchises because of his ability to bat and bowl anywhere in the game.

He had the ability to bowl at the death and hit some lusty blows at the end with the bat. His stats speak volumes about his abilities. With an impressive economy of 8.00 and a staggering batting strike rate of 155.27 made him an excellent commodity to have. Therefore, his price tag kept increasing despite his age because of the dearth of fast bowling all-rounders.

2) Virat Kohli – INR 17 Crores (2018)

The former Indian captain is regarded as the stalwart of batting in the sport of cricket. His consistent contributions in winning matches for his team gave him the title of 'King'. He is the highest run-getter in the history of the Indian Premier League and has been the backbone of the batting order in both India as well as RCB.

He was retained by RCB ahead of the Mega Auctions in 2018 for a hefty sum of 17 Crores. This made him the highest-paid player in the history of IPL. His contributions have been significant for RCB especially his monstrous 973-run season in 2016. His stats speak volumes about his abilities. He has amassed five hundreds in IPL.

He has led RCB for over eight years but never has been able to win the trophy. Nevertheless, his contributions has been instrumental in the growth of Indian Cricket and his match-winning abilities are second to none. Therefore, it is understandable that RCB paid a huge amount of sum to retain him because of his brand value.

1) KL Rahul – INR 17 Crores (2022)

The Punjab franchise and its management are never known for sticking with a player and grooming him for the future and it happened again for the umpteenth time that their star player decided to leave the franchise. KL Rahul, the current Indian limited overs vice-captain, decided to return to the auction table and start over in a new team. In that instance, Lucknow picked him by paying him a huge amount of 17 Crores.

He is the highest-paid player in the history of IPL along with Virat Kohli. From 2018 to 2021,Rahul was a consistent performer for the Punjab Kings. The Punjab Kings franchise was primarily a one-man show, with KL Rahul as the star. Every season he spent with the Punjab Kings, he was among the top five run-scorers.

His record has been prolific in the IPL. He has amassed 3273 runs at a mind-blowing strike rate of 136.37. Added to his batting, he possesses quality wicketkeeping skills. In addition, he is the captain of the franchise and would look to start a new legacy for the team.