The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction is set to be one of the most exciting events for cricket fans. With the record for the most expensive player being broken in the IPL 2024 auction after Mitchell Starc was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), we can expect more records to be shattered in the IPL 2025 mega auction. Ahead of the event, let’s take a look at the most expensive players in IPL history, listed by year.
Most expensive players in IPL each year
| Player | Edition | Franchise | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| MS Dhoni | 2008 | Chennai Super Kings | $1.5 million |
| Andrew Flintoff & Kevin Pietersen | 2009 | Chennai Super Kings & Royal Challengers Bangalore | $1.55 million |
| Shane Bond & Kieron Pollard | 2010 | Kolkata Knight Riders & Mumbai Indians | $750,000 |
| Gautam Gambhir | 2011 | Kolkata Knight Riders | $2.4 million |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 2012 | Chennai Super Kings | $2 million |
| Glenn Maxwell | 2013 | Mumbai Indians | $1 million |
| Yuvraj Singh | 2014 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹14 crore |
| Yuvraj Singh | 2015 | Delhi Daredevils* | ₹ 16 crore |
| Shane Watson | 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹9.5 crore |
| Ben Stokes | 2017 | Rising Pune Supergiant | ₹14.5 crore |
| Ben Stokes | 2018 | Rajasthan Royals | ₹12.5 crore |
| Varun Chakravarthy & Jaydev Unadkat | 2019 | Kings XI Punjab* & Rajasthan Royals | ₹8.4 crore |
| Pat Cummins | 2020 | Kolkata Knight Riders | ₹15.5 crore |
| Chris Morris | 2021 | Rajasthan Royals | ₹16.25 crore |
| Ishan Kishan | 2022 | Mumbai Indians | ₹15.25 crore |
| Sam Curran | 2023 | Punjab Kings | ₹18.5 crore |
| Mitchell Starc | 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 24.75 crore |
Delhi Daredevils = Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab = Punjab Kings
Some of the most expensive buys in each IPL auction
MS Dhoni
The most successful skipper in IPL history was bought by the Super Kings in 2008 for $1.5 million. That amount seemed huge at the time, but the wicketkeeper has paid the franchise back handsomely. Dhoni led them to 5 titles (joint most) and the most match wins (113) in IPL history.
Ravindra Jadeja
One of the costliest picks ($2 million) by CSK in IPL auction history. Jadeja went on to be part of four title runs for the franchise. His last ball four in the IPL 2023 Final helped CSK claim a record 5th title. The all-rounder is CSK’s 2nd-highest wicket-taker and 8th-highest run scorer, having played 172 matches for the franchise.
Yuvraj Singh
Unlike Maxwell, RCB paying Yuvraj ₹14 crore did not end well for them in 2014. In the 14 matches he played, Yuvraj managed to score 376 runs at an average of 34.18 and a strike rate of 135.25. The all-rounder had poor returns with the ball, picking up just 5 wickets.
