When Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) headed by Mukesh Ambani bought the Mumbai franchise for $111.9 million and named it the Mumbai Indians, it was the IPL’s most expensive team.
It didn’t have a great first couple of seasons but has slowly staked its claim to being one of the best teams in the IPL. Mumbai Indians is also one of the most affluent teams in the franchise in terms of creating a splash almost every year with some extremely expensive buys.
Over the years, eyebrows have been raised for cash dispensed to buy players like Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik who didn’t go on to really have a massive impact.
However, at the end of the day, the fact that Mumbai Indians under Rohit Sharma have won the coveted silverware justifies their lavish spending. We now take a look at some of the most expensive buys of the Mumbai Indians over the last 8 years, either through auction or through player retention:
#5 Glenn Maxwell – Rs. 5.4 crores
Harbhajan Singh’s original price was a meagre $350,000, way below the price attracted by Sanath Jayasuriya, who was purchased by MI in the first IPL auction for a whopping $975,000, a number that is still considered massive in IPL parlance. To put things into perspective, Jos Buttler was bought for a big price tag and it summed up to $560,000.
In the past, Corey Anderson and Michael Hussey were massive buys for MI. They were bought in 2014 for $750,000 and $833,000 respectively. Harbhajan’s stock value kept increasing because of retention across multiple seasons. Currently, he is one of MI’s highest paid cricketers with a salary of 8 crore rupees, although the price deduction for the franchise is less than that.
However, one of MI’s biggest splashes was the million dollar baby – Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell was purchased in the 2013 auction for a whopping $1million (5.4 crore rupees) although he barely managed to get off the bench. Maxwell’s best year came later for Kings XI Punjab in 2014.
#4 Lasith Malinga – Rs 7.5 crores
Malinga has been with Mumbai Indians since the first season. The team has retained him year after year and he has retained their faith in him by standing as the highest wicket-taker in IPL overall. Malinga’s salary in IPL 2016 is 8.1 crore rupees, almost at par with Harbhajan Singh, although the purse deduction is 75 million rupees. He will not really participate in this season because of an injury.
Interestingly, the Sri Lankan pacer was worth just $350,000 when MI bought him in 2008. Malinga’s value touched a peak at 9.5 crore rupees when he was retained by Mumbai Indians in 2014 alongside Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu and Harbhajan Singh. Malinga is currently the league’s highest wicket-taker by a massive margin. He has 143 wickets with Amit Mishra second at 116. Malinga also boasts of an average of 17.8 and an unbelievable economy of 6.67.
#3 Kieron Pollard – Rs 9.5 crores
Pollard turned a new leaf in his life when he impressed one and all with his sensational knocks for Trinidad and Tobago in the 2009 Champions League. He sparked off a bidding war and although his price was capped at $750,000, he was bought in a silent tie-breaker by the Mumbai Indians. The all-rounder has played for them ever since.
Despite his inconsistency, Pollard is a genuine match-winner which shows in his salaries. Currently, he is Mumbai Indians’ second-highest paid player after Rohit Sharma with his salary at a whopping 9.7 crore rupees. That makes him one of the highest valued foreign players in the IPL along with Shane Watson. Pollard has justified his high salary with a great 2015 in which he scored 419 runs for them at a strike-rate of 168 to go with his medium pace bowling and his unbelievable athleticism on the field.
#2 Rohit Sharma – Rs 11.5 crores
Mumbai Indians’ talisman, Rohit Sharma was bought by Mumbai Indians in 2011 after the Mumbai cricketer dazzled for Deccan Chargers. MI were aiming for a marquee Indian player to lead the team and Rohit, one of the best T20 players in India and an Indian international offered the best value. He earns a massive salary of Rs. 11.5 crore.
He justified that huge price tag by leading Mumbai Indians to an IPL Trophy twice in 2013 and then in 2015. He also helped Mumbai qualify for the Champions League in 2011 which they won although Rohit was ruled out in the actual tournament because of injury. Rohit Sharma is one of the highest paid cricketers in IPL in 2016 and is also one of the league’s most consistent run-getters. He is the league’s second highest run-getter with 3768 runs, behind Suresh Raina. He has an average of more than 34 and a strike-rate of almost 140 to go with 30 50+ scores. Rohit currently draws a salary of 11.5 crore rupees, a little below the actual purse deduction for MI which is 12 crore rupees.
#1 Dinesh Karthik – Rs. 12.4 crores
In one of the most surprise buys, Mumbai Indians picked up specialist wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik, a former India international for a reported whopping $2.35 million (close to 12.4 crore rupees) in the January 2011 auction. That made Karthik, who was obtained during the transfer window from Kings XI Punjab, one of the most expensive buys ever.
Karthik didn’t really set the stage alight, but still justified his value with a couple of single-handed match-winning innings. Dinesh Karthik is also one of the rare players to have played for more than 4 franchises over the IPL’s 9-year history, currently playing for Gujarat Lions.
Check RCB Squad 2024 Details. Follow Sportskeeda for IPL 2024 Live Score, Schedule, Points Table
