IPL Auction 2022: Top 5 most expensive buys from IPL 2018 Mega Auction - Where are they now?

IPL Auction 2022 will be a mega auction, where teams will have permission to retain only a few players from their existing squads.

The previous mega auction took place back in 2018. At that time, the BCCI allowed the franchises to retain a maximum of three players each.

Because of the mega auction rules, quite a few big names became part of the pool, with fans witnessing intense bidding wars during the auction. While franchises tend to spend big on match-winners, one more interesting thing about the mega auction is the squad balance.

All franchises present in the auction room aim to form a balanced squad, which is why they do not wish to overspend on any player. In a mini auction, if a franchise wants a certain player, then it goes all out behind him. However, the same is not the case in the mega auction.

Due to this reason only, the most expensive players in the last two mini auctions earned more than ₹15 crore, while the most expensive signing at IPL Auction 2018 was worth ₹12.5 crore.

With fans set to witness a mega auction soon, in this listicle, we will look at the five most expensive players from the 2018 mega auction and where they are now.

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#5 Chris Lynn - ₹9.6 crore

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) signed two Australians for more than ₹9 crore each at IPL Auction 2018. They bought Mitchell Starc for ₹9.4 crore and Chris Lynn for ₹9.6 crore.

While Starc did not play a single game for KKR, Lynn scored 400+ runs each in 2018 and 2019. Despite his good performances, Lynn was released by KKR ahead of IPL 2020, when he became part of the Mumbai Indians squad.

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#4 KL Rahul - ₹11 crore

KL Rahul captained Punjab Kings in IPL 2021 (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Punjab Kings broke the bank and spent ₹11 crore to acquire KL Rahul's services at the 2018 mega auction. The decision proved to be a masterstroke as the right-handed batter has scored 2,548 runs for Punjab in the last four seasons.

Rahul became the team's captain in 2020 and won the Orange Cap that season. He recently became India's T20I vice-captain, but according to reports Rahul is set to leave the Punjab Kings ahead of the IPL Auction 2022.

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#3 Manish Pandey - ₹11 crore

Manish Pandey captained the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last match of IPL 2021 (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Another Karnataka batter who earned ₹11 crore at IPL Auction 2018 was Manish Pandey. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) signed him and used him in their middle-order.

Pandey has scored 1,345 runs in the last four seasons for SRH, but he has been a little inconsistent. The team management dropped him from the playing XI during IPL 2021, and it is unlikely that he will be retained ahead of IPL Auction 2022.

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#2 Jaydev Unadkat - ₹11.5 crore

Jaydev Unadkat in action for the Rajasthan Royals during IPL 2021 (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Jaydev Unadkat was the most expensive signing at the IPL Auction 2018. The Rajasthan Royals (RR) spent ₹11.5 crore to sign the Saurashtra pacer. Unfortunately, he could not justify his price tag and was released. RR bought him for a lower price (₹8.4 crore) in 2019 but released him again.

The Royals surprisingly went after him in 2020 and signed him for ₹3 crore. In the last four seasons, Unadkat has played 39 games for RR, scalping 29 wickets. It will be interesting to see if RR retain him ahead of IPL Auction 2022.

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#1 Ben Stokes - ₹12.5 crore

England all-rounder Ben Stokes emerged as the most expensive player at the IPL Auction 2018. Rajasthan Royals signed him for a whopping ₹12.5 crore, but Stokes could only play 31 matches for the Royals across four seasons, scoring 604 runs and picking up 16 wickets.

Stokes is set to return to the cricket field next month after a mental health break. It will be interesting to see if the Royals retain him.