Every Indian knows that cricket is worshipped like a religion in their country. Indian Premier League is one of the festivals of this religion, is widely and universally loved by all. IPL begins for the public when each of the 8 teams releases their promo songs along with the playing eleven. But, in reality, IPL begins with the player auction where new players are bought by the teams while keeping in mind the budget allotted to them.
Here’s a list of the most expensive players of each IPL season –
Player – Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Team – Chennai Super Kings
Price – INR 6 Crores
The former Indian skipper, MS Dhoni, was the costliest gem of the inaugural auction in 2008 and was taken by CSK. He has led the team to three IPL titles along with two Champions League titles till now.
Players - Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff
Price – INR 7.35 Crores
Former English stars - Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff attracted major penny numbers towards themselves in IPL 2009 auction. However, both of them couldn't stand up to their fans’ expectations.
Players - Kieron Pollard and Shane Bond
Teams – Mumbai Indians and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively
Price - INR 3.42 Crores
While Kieron Pollard’s outstanding performance in the Champions League 2010 helped him increase his bids, Shane Bond’s chances were boosted by his incredible track record as a bowler on the field.
Player - Gautam Gambhir
Team – Kolkata Knight Riders
Price - INR 11.04 Crores
The fourth IPL season set a new benchmark as the price rose to double-digits for the first time. Gambhir led the team to two title wins and made an emotional bond with the city of joy.
Player – Ravindra Jadeja
Team – Chennai Super Kings
Price – INR 9.72 Crores
He drew competent bids from not one, but many teams and, a secret tie-breaker let the Chennai Super Kings run ahead of the Deccan Chargers in bagging Ravindra Jadeja.
Player - Glenn Maxwell
Team – Mumbai Indians
Price – INR 5.3 Crores
Glenn was in limelight at that time due to his hard-hitting capabilities and thus invited a winning bid from Mumbai Indians after the tug of war with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Player - Yuvraj Singh
Team – Royal Challengers Bangalore
Price - INR 14 Crores
Yuvraj Singh stood out as the star of the IPL 2014 auction. He broke new grounds when he was purchased at the 2nd highest price of INR 14 crores by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
8. IPL Season 8 (2015) -
Player - Yuvraj Singh
Team – Delhi Daredevils
Price - INR 16 Crores
Once again Yuvraj emerged as the top star in 2016.
The left-handed batsman failed to perform under pressure and fulfil his responsibility for the franchise. Yuvraj ended up with just 248 runs in 14 games for DD and was once again released by the franchise for the next season.
Player - Shane Watson
Team – Royal Challengers Bangalore
Price – INR 9.5 Crores
His amazing track-record for Rajasthan Royals in the previous season invited the highest bid of INR 9.5 crores from Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2016. He proved to be a good choice for the franchise as he played a major role in helping the team reach the season’s finale.
Player - Ben Stokes
Team – Rising Pune Supergiants
Price - INR 14.5 Crores
He was bagged for INR 14.5 crores by Rising Pune Supergiants, making him the biggest buy-in 2017. Scoring consistent runs and wickets, he ended the season with 316 runs and 12 wickets and thus was also awarded the season’s most valuable player award.
Player - Ben Stokes
Price - INR 12.5 Crores
Stokes had numerous teams competing for him but finally, Rajasthan Royals walked on the red carpet. But, Stokes had a patchy tournament and failed to deliver for the franchise both with bat and ball. However, the Rajasthan Royals posed faith in Stokes and retained him for the upcoming season.
12. IPL Season 12 (2019) -
Players - Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Chakravarthy - INR 8.4 Crore
Teams – Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab
Price – INR 8.4 Crores
Spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who rose to fame with his tricks in the TNPL, was bagged by KXIP who gambled big money on the youngster. Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals chose to pin their hopes on Jaydev Unadkat.
Player - Pat Cummins
Team – Kolkata Knight Riders
Price – INR 15.5 Crores
Pat Cummins was an expected name after his name sits at the top of the bowlers' ranking table in Test cricket. He was sold for a whopping Rs. 15.50 crore to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Edited by – Bushra Makhdoomi
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