The Indian Premier League (IPL) has not only revolutionized the world of cricket but also redefined the value of talent through its exceptional player auctions.
Over the years, numerous cricketers have commanded eye-popping auction prizes, solidifying their status as some of the most expensive players in IPL history.
In this article, we delve into the remarkable journeys of these players that adorn the list of the top 20 most expensive players in IPL history.
Below is the list of the top 20 Most Expensive Players in IPL History
| Rank | Player | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 1 | Mitchell Starc | Kolkata Knight Riders | 24.75 crore | 2024 |
| 2 | Pat Cummins | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 20.50 crore | 2024 |
| 3 | Sam Curran | Punjab Kings | 18.50 crore | 2023 |
| 4 | Cameron Green | Mumbai Indians | 17.50 crore | 2023 |
| 5 | Ben Stokes | Chennai Super Kings | 16.25 crore | 2023 |
| 6 | Chris Morris | Rajasthan Royals | 16.25 crore | 2022 |
| 7 | Nicholas Pooran | Lucknow Super Giants | 16 crore | 2021 |
| 8 | Yuvraj Singh | Delhi Daredevils | 16 crore | 2015 |
| 9 | Rohit Sharma | Mumbai Indians | 16 crore | 2023 |
| 10 | Ravindra Jadeja | Chennai Super Kings | 16 crore | 2023 |
| 11 | Kyle Jamieson | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 15 crore | 2022 |
| 12 | Glenn Maxwell | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 14.25 crore | 2021 |
| 13 | Deepak Chahar | Chennai Super Kings | 14 crore | 2022 |
| 14 | Jhye Richardson | Punjab Kings | 14 crore | 2021 |
| 15 | Daryl Mitchell | Chennai Super Kings | 14 crore | 2024 |
| 16 | Shreyas Iyer | Kolkata Knight Riders | 12.25 crore | 2022 |
| 17 | Harshal Patel | Punjab Kings | 11.75 crore | 2024 |
| 18 | Alzarri Joseph | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 11.5 crore | 2024 |
| 19 | Gautam Gambhir | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11.04 crore | 2011 |
| 20 | Avesh Khan | Lucknow Super Giants | 10 crore | 2022 |
Below is the detail of the top 20 most expensive players in IPL history:
1 . Mitchell Starc (24.75 Crore):
Mitchell Starc has become the most expensive player in IPL history with a whopping prize of 24.75 crore.
The Australian bowler has been sold to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the auction of IPL 2024. The demand and the bids were very high for Mitchell Starc due to his remarkable performance in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 1 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 24.75 crore | 2024 |
2. Pat Cummins (20.50 Crore):
Pat Cummins with the prize of 20.50 Crore for IPL 2024 has become the second most expensive players in IPL history.
As he captained the winning Australian side in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023 with some impeccable performances, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) invested in him to bring the brilliant addition to their squad.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 2 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 20.50 crore | 2024 |
3. Sam Curran (18.5 Crore):
Punjab Kings acquired English all-rounder Sam Curran for INR 18.50 crore in the 2023 IPL Auction. He shone in the 2022 T20 World Cup, being named Player of the Tournament and Match in the final.
Sam Curran is one of the most expensive players in IPL history. Previously with Chennai Super Kings, Curran’s three-season stats include 337 runs and 32 wickets.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 3 | Punjab Kings | 18.50 crore | 2023 |
4. Cameron Green (17.50 Crore):
Mumbai secured Aussie all-rounder Cameron Green for INR 17.50 crore, marking the 2023 IPL Auction’s second-highest price. Plus the second most expensive players in IPL history.
Green’s T20I debut was in April 2022, with 8 matches, a 173.75 strike rate, and two 50+ scores. Cameron Green has been a great asset to the Mumbai Indians team now.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 4 | Mumbai Indians | 17.50 crore | 2023 |
5. Ben Stokes (16.25 Crore):
Chennai Super Kings secured English Test captain Ben Stokes for INR 16.25 crore at the 2023 IPL Auction. He is the third most expensive player in IPL history.
Stokes’ role in England’s T20 World Cup victory drew interest from multiple teams. His unbeaten 52 in the final and six wickets with a 6.79 economy were pivotal.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 5 | Chennai Super Kings | 16.25 crore | 2023 |
6. Chris Morris (16.25 Crore):
Rajasthan Royals acquired South African all-rounder Chris Morris for INR 16.25 crore, making him the IPL 2021’s priciest player.
He topped Rajasthan’s wicket charts with 15 scalps but had a tough batting season. Morris retired from all cricket forms in January 2022.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 6 | Rajasthan Royals | 16.25 crore | 2022 |
7. Nicholas Pooran (16 Crore):
Lucknow Super Giants signed Nicholas Pooran for INR 16 crore, setting a record for the most expensive wicketkeeper batter in IPL auction history.
Having played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, Pooran boasts an average of 26.06 and a strike rate of 151.24 across four seasons. Likewise, Nicholas Pooran is now playing remarkably for the team Lucknow SuperGiants.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 7 | Lucknow SuperGiants | 16 crore | 2021 |
8. Yuvraj Singh (16 Crore):
Yuvraj Singh is the king of Sixes. He has made the Indian team proud with each of his performances. Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) acquired Yuvraj Singh for INR 16 crore in the 2015 IPL.
Struggling to meet expectations, he scored 248 runs and took one wicket in 14 matches before being released.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 8 | Delhi Daredevils | 16 crore | 2015 |
9. Rohit Sharma (16 Crore):
Mumbai Indians decided to keep captain Rohit Sharma for 16 crores during the 2023 IPL auction, making him the seventh highest-paid IPL player in history.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 9 | Mumbai Indians | 16 crore | 2023 |
10. Ravindra Jadeja (16 crore):
In the 2023 IPL auction, CSK retained Ravindra Jadeja for a substantial 16 crore. During the inaugural IPL season, Jadeja was initially selected by the eventual champions, Rajasthan Royals.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 10 | Chennai Super Kings | 16 crore | 2023 |
11. Kyle Jamieson (15 crore):
Kylie Jamieson was acquired with an auction price of 15 crore by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2022. He was in demand in the IPL auction 2022 due to his incredible performance in the final of the ICC World Test Championship against India.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 11 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 15 crore | 2022 |
12. Glenn Maxwell (14.25 crores):
Glenn Maxwell is the fantastic Australian allrounder and he has been phenomenal with his talent consistently. He was picked by multiple teams in the IPL to play.
However, the game-changer auction prize for Glenn Maxwell came from the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2021. He was sold with an auction price of 14.25 crore.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 12 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 14.25 crore | 2021 |
13. Deepak Chahar (14 crore):
After his successful stint in the Indian cricket team, Deepak Chahar was picked by the ever-successful IPL team Chennai Super Kings.
Deepak Chahar was sold for 14 crore in the IPL auction in 2022. He then became a key player for CSK in their bowling attacks.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 13 | Chennai Super Kings | 14 crore | 2022 |
14. Jhye Richardson (14 crore):
Jhye Richardson was a great fast bowler for his Australian team. He was picked by Punjab Kings in the IPL auction 2021 with a whopping 14 crore prize.
However, things didn’t go as planned and Jhye Richardson failed to meet the expectations of his prize money and talent in IPL 2021.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 14 | Punjab Kings | 14 crore | 2021 |
15. Daryl Mitchell (14 crore):
After his remarkable performance in the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, the New Zealand player Daryl Mitchell was in demand. Likewise, in IPL AUCTION 2024, Chennai Super Kings went all out and paid a whopping 14 crore for Daryl Mitchell.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 15 | Chennai Super Kings | 14 crore | 2024 |
16. Shreyas Iyer (12.25 crore):
Shreyas Iyer is the talented batsman in the Indian team and has been performing very consistently. Kolkata Knight Riders needed a good player ahead of the IPL 2022 auction, and who better than Shreyas Iyer? They bought him with an auction price of 12.25 crore.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 16 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 12.25 crore | 2022 |
17. Harshal Patel (11.75 crore):
Harshal Patel has proved himself in many domestic cricket leagues and he has played many IPL seasons successfully.
However, he was released by RCB before the IPL auction in 2024. Punjab Kings acquired him with a whopping 11.75 crore amount and he makes it in the list of most expensive players in IPL history.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 17 | Punjab Kings | 11.75 crore | 2024 |
18. Alzarri Joseph (11.5 crore):
Alzarri Joseph was sold to Royal Challengers Bangalore with an auction price of 11.5 crore. He was sold big in IPL 2024 as he had very successful previous IPL seasons for Gujarat Titans.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 18 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 11.5 crore | 2024 |
19. Gautam Gambhir (11.04 crore):
Gautam Gambhir became the greatest asset for Kolkata Knight Riders after they bought in the IPL 2011 auction. He was one of the highest-paid and most expensive players in that year. Gautam Gambhir was sold to KKR with an auction price of 11.04 crore.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 19 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 11.04 crore | 2011 |
20. Avesh Khan (10 crore):
Avesh Khan was marvellous in the IPL 2021 as he took 24 wickets for Delhi capitals. Later on in the auction of IPL 2022, Lucknow Super Giants took him with an auction prize of 10 crore.
| Rank | Team | Auction Price (INR) | IPL Year |
| 20 | Lucknow SuperGiants | 10 crore | 2022 |
Also, check out Most Runs In IPL History
