From Ishan Kishan to Ben Stokes: Most expensive player of each IPL auction since 2008

The mega auction for the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) will take place tomorrow, 23 December. Though the initial list of players had 991 names, 405 shortlisted cricketers will go under the hammer during the auction beginning at 2:30 PM IST.

Since the introduction of the cash-rich tournament in 2008, a number of players have raised eyebrows by earning a whooping price in each edition. With every passing year, the viewership of the IPL auction has witnessed a significant boost. The IPL 2023 auction will be streamed live on the Jio Cinema mobile app and website for free.

MUST CHECK: IPL 2023 Auction: Players list, venue, date, time, livestream, purse remaining, rules; all you need to know

Ahead of the auction day, here we have listed the most expensive players of the franchise tournament so far:

IPL 2022- Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians), Price: 15.25 Cr.

A core member of the Mumbai Indians family, Ishan Kishan was released ahead of the 2022 season. However, the franchise finally decided to repurchase the left-handed batter and had to pay a huge sum of 15.25 crore. Mumbai finished at the bottom of the table with Kishan racking up 418 runs during the campaign.

IPL 2021- Chris Morris (Rajasthan Royals), Price: 16.25 Cr.

Seamer all-rounder Chris Morris seemed to have good value thanks to his impressive performance in the RCB outfit in 2020. But, the South African cricketer turned out to be the most expensive buy when Rajasthan sealed the deal for Rs 16.25 crore. Though he could not get enough opportunity with the bat, Morris fetched 15 wickets in IPL 2021.

IPL 2020- Pat Cummins (Kolkata Knight Riders), Price: 15.5 Cr.

Kolkata Knight Riders registered the highest bid of the 2020 auction to sign Australian all-rounder Pat Cummins. Cummins had a long-term experience playing in the tournament that led the price to reach a sky-high figure of Rs 15.5 crore. But, he could not live up to the expectations. The right-arm pacer picked up 12 wickets and managed to score just 146 runs.

IPL 2019- Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals) & Varun Chakravarty (Kolkata Knight Riders), Price: 8.4 Cr.

In an unpredictable occurrence, two Indian cricketers- Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Chakravarty received the highest bid of the year, Rs 8.4 crore. While Rajasthan bought Unadkat to strengthen their bowling attack, Chakravarty joined the Knight Riders. Though Unadkat got 12 wickets under his belt, Chakravarty played just one game.

IPL 2018- Ben Stokes (Rajasthan Royals), Price: 12.5 Cr.

Coming off a two-year ban, Rajasthan Royals made headlines by signing English all-rounder Ben Stokes for a whopping Rs 12.5 crore. As Stokes was well-recognised for his expertise in every format, the deal was not quite surprising. However, the cricketer emerged to be a huge disappointment. He could only take 8 wickets and recorded 196 runs with the bat.

IPL 2017- Ben Stokes (Rising Pune Supergiants), Price: 14.5 Cr.

Ben Stoke stole the show in his maiden IPL auction after new-entrant RPSG shelled out Rs 14.5 crore to appoint him. The Englishman played a pivotal role in his team’s journey till the final. He notched up 316 runs and also got 12 wickets to his name.

IPL 2016- Shane Watson (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Price: 9.5 Cr.

Bangalore slashed out Rs 9.5 crore on all-rounder Shane Watson which clicked well for the side. The opening batter failed to shine with the bat but was remarkable in the bowling department. He scalped 20 wickets, with RCB becoming the runners-up of that edition.

IPL 2015- Yuvraj Singh (Delhi Daredevils), Price: 16 Cr.

India’s white-ball specialist Yuvraj Singh topped the tally of highest-bid players for the consecutive second time in the 2015 IPL auction. With Delhi Daredevils picking him for Rs 16 crore, the iconic all-rounder became the most expensive Indian player in the tournament’s history so far. He served the franchise for just one season and recorded 276 runs.

IPL 2014- Yuvraj Singh (Royal Challengers Bangalore), Price: 14 Cr.

The Bangalore-based side was quite interested in signing Yuvraj Singh and finalised the deal for a staggering Rs 14 crore. During his one-year stint there, the Southpaw amassed 376 runs along and picked up 5 wickets.

IPL 2013- Glenn Maxwell (Mumbai Indians), Price: 6.3 Cr.

Australian batter Glenn Maxwell, a leading figure in T20 cricket, became the costliest pick of the 2013 mega auction. Since Mumbai Indians could not find any better choice, they spent Rs 6.3 crore to sign Maxwell. The right-handed batter was sidelined in most of the fixtures and managed to gather 36 runs in three appearances.

IPL 2012- Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings), Price: 12.8 Cr.

The Yellow Army, led by MS Dhoni, was quite keen to have Ravindra Jadeja thanks to his great understanding with the ex-India skipper. Chennai stuck to the bidding for a long time and finally bagged the deal for Rs 12.8 crore. Jadeja turned out to be a fruitful investment and had a major contribution in CSK lifting the IPL trophy in 2018 and 2021.

IPL 2011- Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Knight Riders), Price: 14.9 Cr.

Ahead of the 2011 season, KKR purchased Indian star batter Gautam Gambhir for Rs 14.9 crore and assigned him the captaincy. The decision did not disappoint the franchise as, under Gambhir’s leadership, Kolkata won their maiden IPL title in 2012. They repeated the feat in 2014.

IPL 2010- Shane Bond (Kolkata Knight Riders) & Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians), Price: 4.8 Cr.

New Zealand quick Shane Bond and West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard jointly held the highest bid of the 2010 auction. Bond was picked up by Kolkata, while Pollard made his IPL debut in the Mumbai-based franchise. Bond featured in 8 matches and managed to fetch 9 wickets in the season. On the other hand, Pollard went on to become a core member of the Mumbai franchise and helped them lift the trophy five times.

IPL 2009- Kevin Pietersen (Royal Challengers Bangalore) & Andrew Flintoff (Chennai Super Kings), Price: 9.8 Cr.

Pietersen and Flintoff, two prominent English cricketers, received the highest bids in the 2009 IPL auction. Both teams went for Rs 9.8 crore, with CSK purchasing the all-rounder and RCB acquiring the renowned batter. Both cricketers did not perform up to expectations. Pietersen registered 96 runs in 6 games and Flintoff got just 2 wickets under his belt while scoring 62 runs in 3 matches.

IPL 2008- MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings), Price: 9.5 Cr.

India became the champions of the 2007 T20 World Cup. The feat unquestionably paved the way for MS Dhoni to receive a good price in the inaugural season of the IPL. Chennai Super Kings clinched the deal for Rs 9.5 crore and the bonding still persists. Under Dhoni’s captaincy, CSK lifted the title four times, making them the tournament’s second most successful side so far.

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