IPL 2020: 4 Most Expensive Buys in Auction History

The player auction for the 13th edition of the IPL was the center of attention in the cricketing world this week. Even though it was a mini-auction, we saw a huge amount of money being thrown around for both Indian as well as overseas players.

A total of 62 slots out of the available 73 were filled, with all the teams managing to fill in their eight overseas spots. Australian and West Indian pacers fetched big paychecks this year, with the likes of Pat Cummins, Sheldon Cottrell, Nathan Coulter-Nile, and Shimron Hetmyer all getting contracts worth over Rs 7 Crores.

The IPL has a penchant for converting players into household names and making them millionaires overnight. That’s the beauty of the league and the auction that takes place before that.

On that note, let’s have a look at the four most expensive buys in IPL auction history.

#4 Yuvraj Singh – Rs 14 CR – Royal Challengers Bangalore

Yuvraj Singh - RCB

Yuvraj Singh was back in the auction pool for the 2014 season after the Pune Warriors India franchise exited the competition. He had set his base price at Rs 2 Crores and as soon as his name came out of the bag, Kings XI Punjab had had their paddle raised!

Being the star all-rounder he was, Yuvi was always going to go start a bidding war and that he did. Royal Challengers Bangalore seemed to have got him for Rs 10 Crores but then KKR decided to join the party. They jostled with RCB till Rs 14 Crores and then backed out and so, the Bengaluru outfit, which was about to get him for much less, had to shell out an amount that became the highest price for any player at that time.

#3 Ben Stokes – Rs 14.5 CR – Rising Pune Supergiant

Ben Stokes - RPS

It was a mini-auction in 2017 and there weren’t many big players in the fray then. But that one player who had all the teams looking to get him on board was Ben Stokes.

All eyes were on the England all-rounder who had thrown his hat in the ring for the first time. Almost all of the teams were interested in recruiting the New Zealand-born Stokes and it was the Mumbai Indians that started the proceedings, raising their paddle as soon as his name came out of the bag.

Though keen on getting him, Team Mumbai didn’t have the money and had to back out after a while and in came Rising Pune Supergiant from nowhere. Coming in very late into the bidding war, they bagged Stokes for a whopping Rs 14.5 Crores, making him the most expensive overseas player at that time.

#2 Pat Cummins – Rs 15.5 CR – Kolkata Knight Riders

Pat Cummins

Every year the auction gives us some major talking points and this year was no different as we saw the highest bid for an overseas player in the entire history of the IPL Auctions. Just like Ben Stokes in 2017, Pat Cummins was the talk of the town before this auction.

Most teams wanted an overseas quickie and the 26-year-old Aussie was the best one available in the market. Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore started the bidding war and took the price till Rs 14.75 Crores when Kolkata Knight Riders joined in. Eventually, the Kolkata franchise won the battle and got Cummins for a whopping Rs 15.5 Crores.

With that price, he has become the most expensive overseas player in the history of the IPL. It would be interesting to see whether he can repay their faith in the upcoming season.

#1 Yuvraj Singh – Rs 16 CR – Delhi Daredevils

Yuvraj Singh - DD

Yuvraj Singh was back in the auction pool just a year after being recruited by RCB. He had once again set his base price at Rs 2 Crores (which is the highest a player can set).

Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab started the bidding war and raised the price till Rs 3.8 Crores, which is when the Delhi Capitals (then named the Delhi Daredevils) entered the race. The Royals exited the battle at Rs 5 Crores and that’s when RCB, who had released him, made their entry. It appeared that both RCB and DC (then DD) weren’t ready to quit as the price reached Rs 16 Crores. Finally, the Bengaluru franchise backed out and Delhi got the man they wanted.

As a result, Singh became the most expensive player in the history of the IPL Auction.