Over the years, the Indian Premier League has witnessed high-stake auctions with record-breaking bids for the players that a team wants to secure. The Scenario could be pretty similar ahead of the Mega auction for the 18th edition of the IPL. In this article, we will go through the top five most expensive buys in the History of the Indian Premier League.
TOP 5 MOST EXPENSIVE BUYS IN IPL:
1) Mitchell Starc- 24.75 Crore (KKR) – IPL 2024
Number one on the list is One of Australia’s Premiere fast bowlers, none other than Mitchell Starc. The left-arm pacer went for a whopping 24.75 Crores and was Sold to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the 2024 IPL. It was Delhi Capitals who started the opening bid for the Pace sensation which was later joined by teams like Gujarat Titans, Mumbai Indians & Delhi Capitals before Kolkata Knight Riders had the last laugh after buying him. Though Starc had an ordinary tournament before the Knockouts, the Australian pacer stood up when the stakes were high claiming a match-winning performance in Qualifier-1 later on claiming two wickets in the final playing an essential role in Kolkata’s title-winning season.
2) Pat Cummins- 20.50 Crore (SRH) – IPL 2024
The Australian skipper was expected to attract significant bids in auctioning ahead of the 2024 IPL after Pat Cummins had successfully guided Australia to crown as champions in the World Test Championship Final & 2023 World Cup. As anticipated it was the case, as Pat Cummins was sold for a record-breaking 20.50 Crore to the Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the following season, Pat Cummins was announced as the skipper & in his first edition he had a great run both with the ball & as a skipper, as in the following season they finished as runners-up.
3) Sam Curran- 18.50 Crore (PBKS) – IPL 2023
At the third spot is English all-rounder Sam Curran, who was the highlight of the 2023 IPL auction. Sam Curran was the expensive player of the 2023 IPL auction after being sold to Punjab Kings in the following season. Representing Punjab Kings, Sam Curran had a great run both with the bat & ball, he scored 276 runs with the bat & claimed 10 wickets in the following season.
4) Cameron Green- 17.50 Crore (MI) – IPL 2023
Cameron Green was the second most expensive buy in the 2023 IPL auction & is the number fourth among the most expensive players in IPL. Known for his all-round abilities & explosive gameplay with the bat, Mumbai Indians added the Australian all-rounder to their squad for a colossal amount of 17.50 Crore. In the following season, Green scored 452 runs with the bat including a century & scalped six wickets with the ball.
5) Ben Stokes- 16.25 Crore (CSK) – IPL 2023
At number five is England’s red-ball skipper Ben Stokes. Known for his dynamic & freestyle play. Chennai Super Kings went after the English all-rounder in the 2023 IPL auction for 16.25 Crores. Unfortunately, Stokes featured in only two games in the IPL 2023 before the English all-rounder suffered a knee injury that kept him out of playing in major tournaments.