IPL History: Most expensive players by teams and countries
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction gets underway on November 24 and ends on November 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Since the inception of the league in 2008, the IPL auction has intrigued the fans. They wait for the auctions with bated breath to see how their teams go about in assembling their squads. The IPL 2025 mega auction will provide another opportunity for teams to revamp their squads and challenge for the coveted title next year.
Mitchell Starc holds the record for being the most expensive player in IPL history. The Australian left-arm seamer was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders during the mini auction ahead of IPL 2024 for a whopping INR 24.75 crore. Starc needed some time to get into his groove after coming out of an eight-year hiatus but he proved his worth by winning the Player of the Match award in Qualifier 1 and the final.
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is the most expensive Indian player to play in the IPL. He was retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for an awe-inspiring INR 21 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. The former India captain has spent 17 seasons at RCB and will want to help his team to an elusive first IPL title next year.
As far as the most expensive Indian buy at the IPL auction is concerned, the legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh tops the charts as he was signed by Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) for INR 16 crore at the 2015 IPL auction. However, the southpaw failed to do justice to his potential as he scored just 248 runs from 14 matches at an average of 19.07. Yuvraj was released ahead of the following season.
Also Check: How much money has been spent at each IPL auction?
Most expensive player for each team in IPL
Player
Price (in crore)
Kolkata Knight Riders
Mitchell Starc
24.75
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Heinrich Klaasen
23
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Virat Kohli
21
Lucknow Super Giants
Nicholas Pooran
21
Punjab Kings
Sam Curran
18.50
Chennai Super Kings
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ravindra Jadeja
18
Mumbai Indians
Jasprit Bumrah
18
Gujarat Titans
Rashid Khan
18
Rajasthan Royals
Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal
18
Delhi Capitals
Axar Patel
16.50
Most expensive player in IPL for each country
Player
Price (in crore)
India
Virat Kohli
21
Australia
Mitchell Starc
24.75
South Africa
Heinrich Klaasen
23
New Zealand
Kane Williamson
14
England
Sam Curran
18.50
West Indies
Nicholas Pooran
21
Afghanistan
Rashid Khan
18
Bangladesh
Mustafizur Rahman
3.20
Pakistan
Shahid Afridi
2.71
Sri Lanka
Matheesha Pathirana
13
Most expensive Indian buys in IPL auction history
Price (in crore)
Team
Yuvraj Singh
16
Delhi Capitals
Ishan Kishan
15.25
Mumbai Indians
Gautam Gambhir
14.90
Kolkata Knight Riders
Yuvraj Singh
14
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Deepak Chahar
14
Chennai Super Kings