Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most extravagant domestic T20 cricket league in the world. From glamour to unbelievably high bids for players, the Indian Premier League attracts enormous eyeballs. Every year, young players make headlines for bagging a very expensive IPL contract. As the 9th edition of Indian Premier League gets underway, we look at 9 most expensive players in IPL history.
1) MS Dhoni (USD 1.50 million)
MS Dhoni bagged a deal of USD 1.50 million in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. Dhoni was made the icon player of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and he justified his price tag by winning two seasons of IPL. MS Dhoni also won 2 seasons of Champions League T20 as the captain of Chennai Super Kings.
2) Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen (USD 1.50 million each)
Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and swashbuckling batsman Kevin Pietersen were the star attractions in the second edition of the IPL auction. Both were given a contract of USD 1.50 million each. Flintoff was drafted into Chennai Super Kings and Kevin Pietersen was pulled in by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
3) Kieron Pollard (USD 7,50,000)
Kieron Pollard is a very experienced T20 cricketer and one of the most destructive batsman. Pollard was pulled in by Mumbai Indians for a monstrous price of USD 7,50,000 in 2010 IPL auctions. Pollard has been retained by Mumbai Indians every season after this and he is now a very important part of the Mumbai Indians set-up in IPL.
4) Gautam Gambhir (USD 2.4 million)
Gautam Gambhir is struggling to make a comeback to India’s national squad, but he has been a consistent performer for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL. Gambhir was pulled in by KKR for a massive price of USD 2.4 million and was made the captain of the squad straightaway. Gambhir has done justice to his monstrous price tag by leading KKR to 2 titles; 2012 and 2014.
5) Ravindra Jadeja (USD 2 million)
Jadeja became an overnight sensation when CSK pulled in Ravindra Jadeja for a monstrous price tag of USD 2 million.
6) Glenn Maxwell (USD 1 million)
Glenn Maxwell is one of the most destructive batsmen in world cricket at the moment. Maxwell is a very innovative batsman and he has been a massive crowd puller in the Indian Premier League. Maxwell was pulled in by Mumbai Indian for a price tag of USD 1 million but he spent most of his time on the bench.
7) Yuvraj Singh (USD 2.33 million)
RCB grabbed the elegant southpaw for a price of USD 2.33 million in 2014. Questions were raised on his selection but he played a decent role with the bat and was further released by RCB in the next auction.
8) Yuvraj Singh (USD 2.67 million)
Yuvraj Singh was struggling to make a comeback to the national squad, but this did not stop Delhi Daredevils to go after him in the auction hall. Yuvraj was pulled in by Delhi Daredevils in 2015 for a monstrous price tag of USD 2.67 million. Yuvraj had an ordinary run in the tournament and did not manage to achieve anything big except his knock of 57 which was also his highest in that season.
9) Virat Kohli (INR 15 crores)
Virat Kohli is arguably the best batsman in world cricket at the moment, across all three formats. In the last 2 years or so, Virat Kohli has been the mainstay of India’s batting unit. Kohli was snatched by RCB for a mind-boggling price of 15 crores.
By Vaibhav Sharma
