The Indian Premier League has become the most popular cricket league in the world over the years, not only because of the massive number of international stars taking part in it, but also because of its auction format of picking players which is a spectacle in itself. Every year, the teams gather a couple of days ahead of the season to bolster their squads in the auction. There have been many bidding wars for some high-profile players over the years, and here we shall take a look at the five most expensive players in IPL Auction history.
Sam Curran - INR 18.5 crores
The England all-rounder became the most expensive player in the history of IPL Auctions ahead of the IPL 2023 season. Punjab Kings bought him for INR 18.5 crores after an intense bidding war with many of the other franchises. Curran played for Chennai Super Kings for a season, but he had started his IPL career with Punjab and he is back with the franchise once again.
Curran was also adjudged the Player of the Tournament for his superb bowling performance in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. He has played 32 IPL matches so far, claiming 32 wickets and scoring 337 runs that includes two fifties as well. The left-arm pacer is capable of delivering at all stages of the innings and he is a hard-hitting middle-order batter as well.
Cameron Green - INR 17.50 crores
The 2023 IPL Auction saw another big budget buy as Mumbai Indians broke the bank to acquire Australian all-rounder Cameron Green. He also became the second most expensive player in IPL Auction history after Curran.
Green is yet to feature in the IPL, but he has a huge potential with both bat and ball. He scored a Test century against India recently, and also has two T20I fifties to his name. Green is mainly a batting all-rounder, but he has recently started bowling at speeds of over 140 kph, which will make him a tough customer to handle with the ball as well.
Chris Morris - INR 16.25 crores
Before the likes of Curran and Green, South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris was the most expensive player in IPL history. It happened when Rajasthan Royals, RCB and Chennai Super Kings engaged in a fierce bidding war in the 2021 IPL Auction to get hold of him. Finally, it was the Royals who acquired Morris and he went on to enjoy an excellent season with them as well.
Morris went on to feature in 81 IPL games, claiming 95 wickets at an impressive strike-rate of 18.11. He also scored 618 runs at a whopping strike-rate of 155.28, and that sums up how dangerous he was as a batter as well.
Ben Stokes - INR 16.25 crores
The 2023 Auction saw another big budget buy as Chennai Super Kings acquired Ben Stokes for INR 16.25 crores, making him the joint third-most expensive player in IPL history. The England all-rounder has vast experience in international cricket and has already proven his mettle in the IPL.
Stokes has played 43 IPL games so far, and has smashed two centuries as well. He has also claimed 28 wickets with his bowling, which sums up how useful his all-round skills are. CSK will probably look to use him at the top of their batting order, and his bowling will come in quite handy at Chepauk as well.
Nicholas Pooran and Yuvraj Singh - INR 16 crores
The West Indies player became the joint fourth most expensive player in IPL history during the IPL 2023 auction. It was Lucknow Super Giants who decided to break the bank to acquire his services. Pooran has already shown what he is capable of in the IPL. He has amassed 912 IPL runs so far, at an excellent strike-rate of 151.24. Pooran also holds the record for being the most expensive wicket-keeper in IPL history.
Before him, former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was also bought for INR 16 crores by Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) during the IPL 2015 auction. He is known for his iconic six sixes against England during the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, but he couldn't fulfill Delhi's expectations in 2015, as he averaged just 19.07 during the season while scoring at a poor strike-rate of 118.09.