IPL 2020 is at its business end and we are in for a great finish as we still don’t know which three teams are going to join the Mumbai Indians in the Playoffs. The IPL is the best T20 tournament in the world and we can see it with the quality of cricket on offer. We get to see the best Indian and Overseas players in the IPL. One of the reasons why the top overseas players come to play the IPL is the amount of money, they can make in 6-7 weeks.
IPL is a tournament where players get paid a lot of money because of the Auction System. It is a fair system where each team has the same purse and has to bid for the players they want. Over the years we have seen players getting a lot of money but who are the most expensive players in IPL history? Let’s have a look at the five most expensive players in IPL history.
5. Ben Stokes – 12.5 CR
Ben Stokes was bought by the Rajasthan Royals franchise for a whopping 12.5 CR in the 2018 Mega Auction. RR was coming back after a two-year ban so they were starting almost from scratch. They had retained only Steve Smith and had to get some strong overseas players. Ben Stokes was the MVP for Rising Pune Supergiant in the previous season and he was ought to go for a big amount. Many teams were interested in the English all-rounder but at the end, RR got him for 12.5 CR.
4. Yuvraj Singh – 14 CR
Yuvraj Singh was up for grabs in the 2014 IPL Auction after Pune Warriors India’s franchise was no more part of the competition. Yuvraj Singh, being a premier Indian all-rounder was always going to be in demand and a bidding war started as soon as his name came out of the bag. RCB had got him for 10 CR but suddenly KKR entered the bidding. In the end, the price went up to 14 CR and RCB was the ultimate winner.
3. Ben Stokes – 14.5 CR
Ben Stokes got 12.5 CR in the 2018 IPL Auction but just a year before that he was bought for 2 CR more i.e. 14.5 CR by the Rising Pune Supergiant. This was the first time the New Zealand born English all-rounder was going to be a part of the IPL. RPS entered the bidding pretty late but in the end, it was their bid of 14.5 CR which clinched it for them. It turned out to be one of the best buys of the season as Ben Stokes won the MVP and took RPS to the Finals.
2. Pat Cummins – 15.5 CR
We have seen all-rounders getting a lot of money in IPL Auctions but this was the first time a fast bowler who could bat a bit got such a huge amount in an IPL Auction. Pat Cummins was the talk of the town before the 2020 IPL Auction and it was certain that he would go for a huge price. Teams like RCB and DC went after him for a long time and when DC exited the bidding war, KKR entered and clinched the Australian fast bowler for 15.5 CR. This buy turned out to be the most expensive overseas player in the history of the IPL. Cummins hasn’t been at his best as he has picked up only 8 wickets in 13 matches.
1. Yuvraj Singh – 16 CR
Yuvraj Singh was back in the auction as RCB who had bought him for 14 CR released him ahead of the auction. RCB had planned to get him for a lower price and hence started bidding for him once again but the price just kept on going higher and higher. In the end, Delhi Daredevils, bought him for 16 CR which turned out to be the most expensive buy in the history of the IPL auction. To date, no other player has gone for a bigger amount than 16 CR in the IPL Auction.
