5 cricketers who justified 'most expensive player' tag in IPL's history 

It came as little surprise when Ishan Kishan became the most expensive cricketer bought in the IPL 2022 mega auction. Many experts, including former cricketers, had predicted that wicket-keeper batters were going to be in high demand. Kishan ended up being taken by Mumbai Indians for ₹15.25 crore.

The young keeper-batsman did not have a productive 2021 season. Yet, the Rohit Sharma-led team broke the bank to buy back the talented cricketer. Kishan had made his IPL debut in the 2017 edition for Gujarat Lions. Mumbai Indians signed him up for ₹6.4 crore the following year.

The Jharkhand-born cricketer has played 61 matches in the league and has amassed 1,452 runs at a strike rate of 136.33. Kishan had a brilliant IPL 2020 that saw him smash 514 runs in 14 matches. Mumbai Indians lifted the trophy that season.

Can Kishan live up to highest billing in IPL 2022?

There is no reason why the talented young cricketer, who is now a part of the Indian limited-overs team set-up, cannot justify Mumbai's faith in him. In the past too, we have seen costliest cricketers from IPL auctions repay their respective franchises through on-field performances.

Let us rewind the clock and look at 5 such cricketers who had been great assets for their teams in the world's biggest T20 league.

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#5 Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes had great success in the 2017 season

England all-rounder Ben Stokes was the most expensive cricketer of IPL 2017. The now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant had bought him for a whopping ₹14.5 crore in the auction.

Stokes did live up to his highest billing that season. He finished with a tally of 316 runs at a strike rate of 142.98. The all-rounder also picked up 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.18.

Stokes, who is regarded as one of the best all-rounders of the modern era, also slammed his first T20 century in the same season. The match where he achieved this landmark saw his side chasing a tricky target of 160 against Gujarat Lions.

After the brilliant showing in 2017, Stokes again became the most expensive player the following season. Rajasthan Royals dished out an amount of ₹12.5 crore to buy him.

The all-rounder has played 31 matches for the Royals and scored 604 runs at a strike rate of 130.45, apart from picking up 16 wickets. Stokes had opted out of IPL 2022 mega auction and will not be a part of the upcoming edition.

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#4 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja became an integral part of CSK after joining them in 2012 (P/C: iplt20.com)

Ravindra Jadeja is one of those cricketers who rose through the ranks in international cricket after already making an impact in the IPL. He was a part of the Rajasthan Royals side that won the inaugural edition of the league, led by the legendary Shane Warne, who recently passed away.

The Saurashtra-born cricketer ended up as the highest-paid cricketer at the IPL 2012 auction. He was sold for an amount of ₹12.8 crore to the Chennai Super Kings franchise. Since then, he has been an invaluable asset for the MS Dhoni-led team.

The left-arm spinner was the second-highest wicket-taker for CSK in the 2012 season with 12 scalps. He also scored 191 runs that season at a strike rate of 126.49 as a lower middle-order batter.

Last season, when Dhoni's team won the title - for the fourth time - Jadeja was simply phenomenal with both bat and ball. He slammed 227 runs in 9 innings at a staggering strike rate of 145.51. He also picked up 13 wickets.

The highly-rated all-rounder has played 132 matches for CSK and amassed a total of 1,324 runs, besides getting a 100 wickets. He has justified every rupee spent by the CSK management on him. Ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction, he was quite expectedly retained by the yellow brigade.

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#3 Keiron Pollard

Pollard has proved his mettle in major T20 leagues of the world (P/C: iplt20.com)

The big-hitting West Indies all-rounder made his IPL debut in 2010. He, along with former New Zealand pacer Shane Bond, was the most expensive cricketer of that season.

Pollard went to Mumbai Indians for ₹4.8 crore, plus an undisclosed amount paid to another franchise, reportedly, as a tiebreaker in the auction.

Pollard is the only cricketer in the world to have played more than 500 T20s. He has proven his mettle as an all-rounder in all the major T20 leagues of the world.

But when Mumbai bought him for the first time, Pollard was still a relatively unknown entity. The move by MI proved to be a masterstroke as the West Indian delivered on his promise right away.

Pollard has been an integral part of the success story of Mumbai Indians [P/C: iplt20.com]

He slammed 273 runs that season at an unbelievable strike rate of 185.71, and picked up 15 wickets. The Trinidad and Tobago native was the joint-highest wicket-taker for his team, alongside Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga. Mumbai Indians were the runners-up that season.

Pollard did not have good outings in the following two seasons of the IPL. But he made a roaring comeback in 2013 by scoring 420 runs in 18 matches. He also picked up 10 wickets which were instrumental in MI winning the title for the first time.

The Caribbean superstar was retained by MI before the IPL 2022 mega auction. He will continue to be an important cog in the wheel of the Rohit Sharma-captained team. It is undoubtedly an investment that is paying rich dividends.

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#2 Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir led Kolkata Knight Riders to the pedestal of champions in the 2012 and 2014 editions

Gautam Gambhir is the third most successful captain in the IPL when it comes to winning the coveted trophy. The legendary former Indian cricketer led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL titles in 2012 and 2014.

The Knight Riders flattered to deceive in most of the early editions of the cash-rich league. But once the franchise co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan decided to dish out ₹14.9 crore for Gambhir, things changed for the better.

The stylish left-handed batter first donned the KKR jersey in 2011. He slammed 378 runs as an opener at a strike rate of 119.24. Although Gambhir could not guide his team to the title that year, KKR did finish as the runners-up.

The former Indian opener has been appointed as mentor of Lucknow Super Giants

Skipper Gambhir had infused a new kind of fighting spirit in the KKR camp. He led by example and finished with an impressive tally of 590 runs in 17 matches during the successful campaign of 2012. He was the third-highest run-scorer for KKR in the 2014 season.

The left-hander led the Kolkata-based franchise in 108 matches out of which he ended up on the winning side in 61. Gambhir’s win percentage of 56.48 is the fourth-highest among captains in the tournament's history.

The longest winning streak of 10 consecutive matches in the league also came under the Delhi batsman, for KKR. The upcoming season will see Gambhir in a new avatar. He has been appointed as the mentor of the Lucknow Super Giants franchise.

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#1 MS Dhoni

The yellow brigade is synonymous with MS Dhoni [P/C: iplt20.com]

MS Dhoni is an institution unto himself. He has taken Chennai Super Kings from strength to strength since the first edition of IPL in 2008. The wicket-keeper batter was the first player to earn the most expensive player tag in the tournament.

The Chennai-based franchise bought Dhoni for a price of ₹9.5 crore. From then to now, CSK has been synonymous with the name Dhoni. The yellow brigade boasts of a huge fan following that has remained loyal to MSD and his team through many ups and downs.

Many youngsters grew in stature under Dhoni's tutelage at the CSK camp [P/C: iplt20.com]

CSK won the IPL for the first time in 2010. The Super Kings have emerged as champions on four occasions and finished runners-up five times.

The Ranchi-born cricketer has amassed a total of 4,746 runs in 220 matches that he has played in the league. He scored those heaps of runs at a brilliant strike rate of 135.83.

The former Indian skipper also completed 161 dismissals behind the stumps. It makes him the most successful wicket-keeper in the league's history so far.

Dhoni has achieved most of the milestones wearing the yellow jersey, barring the 2016 and 2017 seasons when CSK was serving a two-year ban.

But the biggest contribution of Dhoni to CSK has been in the way he leads the team. It is not just about how many IPL titles the Jharkhand cricketer has won as captain. The genius of captain cool also lies in how he backs his players.

Many youngsters grew in stature under his tutelage at the CSK camp and went on to achieve a lot in their respective careers.

For the record, Dhoni has a win percentage of 59.60% in the league as captain. Ahead of the 2022 mega auction, the maverick cricketer also proved that it is not always money that dictates the true worth of a player.

Dhoni chose to take a pay cut ahead of the auction earlier this year and got retained by the defending champions. It speaks volumes about the bond that the former World Cup-winning skipper shares with the CSK management.