The Indian Premier League (IPL) mini auction will be held in Kochi on December 23.
The records for the Most Expensive Player signing in the IPL auction came tumbling down as Sam Curran, Cameron Green and Ben Stokes fetched big bucks.
Most Expensive Players buys in the History of the IPL
11. Deepak Chahar – Rs 14 crore
Deepak Chahar became the costliest Indian fast bowler in the IPL when he was signed by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 14 crore in the IPL 2022 auction.
However, in a major setback for himself and CSK, Chahar suffered a back injury that kept him out of action for several months. Chahar is eyeing his international return in mid-2022 but continues to struggle with fitness. In November, the 30-year-old was retained by CSK on a hefty fee as he is the franchise’s most efficient bowling option in the powerplay.
The 29-year-old made his IPL debut for Rising Pune Supergiant in 2016, where he took one wicket from five dismissals in two seasons. In the 2018 auction, Chahar was bought by CSK for Rs 80 lakh, where he took 58 wickets in as many matches in four seasons.
10. Ben Stokes – Rs 14.5 crore
England’s all-format talisman Ben Stokes was bought by Rising Pune Super giant in 2017 for Rs 14.5 crore ahead of his second and final year in the IPL. Stokes justified his signing with bat and ball. He scored 316 runs at a strike rate of 142.98 and scored a match-winning century in 63 balls against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions. Stokes also took 12 wickets at an economy of 7.18 runs as Pune finished runners-up. Stokes made headlines in 2018 as well, when Rajasthan Royals made a comeback and bought him for Rs 12.5 crore.
Stokes showed fighting edge but failed to maintain the momentum over the next three seasons. After his IPL 2021 campaign came to an abrupt end with a broken finger, Stokes took a mental health break and subsequently missed the 2021 T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates.
Stokes has been ruled out of IPL 2022 and will be hoping to make a comeback in the league, which recently led England to a second T20 World Cup title in Australia. The England Test captain entered the auction at a base price of Rs 2 crore.
9. Kyle Jamieson – Rs 15 crore
New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson was the second costliest player in the 2021 IPL auction, with Royal Challengers Bangalore buying the relatively inexperienced T20 player for Rs 15 crore. Jamieson’s early exploits with the red ball, especially against India, ensured that his stock rose 20 times from his base price of INR 75 lakhs.
However, a low average of nine wickets in nine matches meant that Jamieson soon fell out of favour. The Kiwi opted to sit out the 2022 season to focus on his all-format bowling. The 27-year-old will now be hoping to make a comeback in the cash-rich league after setting himself a base price of Rs 1 crore.
8. Ishan Kishan – Rs 15.25 crore
Indian wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan became the costliest player in the IPL 2022 auction when Mumbai Indians bought him for Rs 15.25 crore.
Kishan, who was first bought by Mumbai in 2018, was the team’s leading run-scorer in 2020. He scored 516 runs in 14 matches, hitting 30 sixes – the most this year.
Mumbai Indians were involved in a fierce bidding war with Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings, which led to a huge rise in Kishan’s stock. This was the first time that Mumbai Indians had bid more than Rs 10 crore for a player in an auction. Prior to Kishan’s signing, skipper Rohit Sharma was MI’s biggest signing at the auction, having paid Rs 9.2 crore for him ahead of IPL 2011.
Kishan scored 418 runs in 14 matches in 2022 as Mumbai posted their worst performance since 2008.
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7. Pat Cummins – 15.5 Crore
Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins grabbed headlines during the IPL 2020 auction as Kolkata Knight Riders sought his services for Rs 15.5 crore. Cummins took 12 wickets for KKR and contributed an easy innings in his debut season down the order, which also included a brisk half-century.
Cummins was released by KKR ahead of the 2022 auction, where the franchise bought him back for Rs 7.25 crore, half of his record-breaking bid last year.
Cummins took seven wickets in five matches and scored the joint-fastest half-century in IPL history (off 15 balls) against Mumbai Indians to guide KKR to a memorable win. However, Cummins’ season was cut short due to a hip injury. The Australian Test skipper was released by KKR ahead of the 2023 mini-auction after the 29-year-old opted to sit out the season to stay fresh for next year’s Ashes tour.
6. Yuvraj Singh – Rs 16 crore
Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh benefited when he was bought by Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) for Rs 16 crore ahead of the 2015 IPL. Yuvraj, who has been struggling to regain his place in Team India, received another huge bid of Rs 14 crore from RCB last season.
Yuvraj failed to live up to billing with Delhi with 248 runs and one wicket in 14 matches. Delhi released Yuvraj before the next season. After this Sunrisers Hyderabad signed him for 7 crores.
Yuvraj, past his prime, would go on to play four more seasons and end up with two IPL trophies – with SRH (2016) and Mumbai Indians in 2019.
5. Nicholas Pooran – Rs 16 crore
Nicholas Pooran was signed by Lucknow Supergiants for Rs 16 crore in the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi on Friday, making him the most expensive wicket-keeper batsman in the history of IPL auctions.
Pooran played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 season when he was bought for Rs 50 lakh in the mega auction. 10.75 crores though the franchise released the wicketkeeper-batsman ahead of the mini-auction. He scored 306 runs in 14 matches.
Pooran has also played for Punjab Kings. The West Indies player averages 26.06 in the tournament in his four seasons with a strike rate of 151.24.
4. Chris Morris – Rs 16.25 crore
Former South African all-rounder Chris Morris became the expensive player of the IPL when Rajasthan Royals bought him in the IPL 2021 mini-auction. Morris was released ahead of the auction by Royal Challengers Bangalore, who bought him for Rs 10 crore last year. Morris engaged in a fierce bidding war, which raised the price 21 times from his base price of Rs 75 lakh to Rs 16.25 crore.
Morris emerged as the highest wicket-taker for Rajasthan in IPL 2021 with 15 wickets in 11 matches. However, he had a poor season with the bat – 67 runs at 13.40. Shortly after the season, Morris announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in January 2022.
3. Ben Stokes – Rs 16.25 crore
Ben Stokes was signed by Chennai Super Kings in the 2023 IPL auction. He holds the record for the third most expensive Player contract in IPL along with Chris Morris of South Africa.
Stokes had attracted interest from a number of teams after the all-rounder played a key role in England’s T20 World Cup-winning campaign earlier this year.
England all-rounder Stokes made an entry for Rs 2 crore. RCB took on RR before LSG made a bid of Rs 7 crore. SRH also took the field soon after CSK. The MS Dhoni-led side eventually bought Stokes for Rs 16.25 crore, which is the joint third highest price in the IPL.
Stokes scored an unbeaten 52 to guide the Three Lions to victory in the final against Pakistan at the MCG. The right-arm medium pacer also took six wickets in the tournament at an economy rate of 6.79.
2. Cameron Green – Rs 17.50 crore
Cameron Green was on Friday signed by Mumbai for Rs 17.50 crore in the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi, becoming the second most Expensive player in the IPL.
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals also tried to stake claim for the all-rounder but the five-time champions finally signed the 23-year-old.
Green made his T20I debut for Australia in April 2022. Green has a strike rate of 173.75 in eight matches and has scored 50+ scores twice. Both the half-centuries came against India in November 2022 – 61 off 30 balls and 52 off 21 balls.
1. Sam Curran – Rs 18.50 crore
Sam Curran became the Most Expensive player of the IPL during the 2023 auction. He was signed by Punjab Kings.
Curran was the center of attraction in the auction after being named the player of the tournament in the 2022 T20 World Cup. He was also the player of the match in the final where England defeated Australia.
Curran did not register for the IPL mega auction in February 2022, citing rehabilitation from a back injury as the reason for his exclusion.
The left-arm fast bowler played for Chennai Super Kings in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was given his IPL debut by the Punjab Kings, who signed him for Rs. 7.2 crores in 2019.
Curran has scored 337 runs in 32 matches at a strike rate of 149.78 in three seasons. Curran has also taken 32 wickets with an economy of 9.21.
