A Lookback at Most Expensive IPL Players from Each Auction

In less than a month from now, Kolkata will host the mini auctions for the next edition of the lucrative Indian Premier League. The trading window saw several transfers and swap-deals in the 11th hour which created enough buzz for teams as well as fans to mark their calendars for the auction, scheduled for December 19.

IPL has had a very rich history of showering fortunes on some of the best players in the modern cricketing history. However, players getting the highest bid have the downside of inviting immense scrutiny from this cricket frenzy country.

In this article, we will track back to look at the most expensive buys from each IPL and how those players fared against the amount spent on them by their franchises.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni (2008)- 9.5 crores

Bought for US$ 1.5 million (9.5 crores), MS Dhoni’s price didn’t come as a surprise to many following India’s Twenty20 WC triumph under his leadership to go alongside his big-hitting abilities. Captain cool didn’t disappoint as Chennai recorded more success than other franchises in the IPL. In the first season itself, Dhoni took Chennai to the finals.

Since 2008, Chennai have lifted three IPL titles, (2010, 2011 and 2018) and appeared in eight finals. There has been no IPL season where Chennai haven’t qualified for the playoffs.

Also see – World Test Championship points table

The franchise overcame the spot-fixing scandal to be reunited with their captain who represented Rising Pune Supergiant for two years, 2016 and 2017. CSK came back with a bang to win the 2018 IPL under MS Dhoni's captaincy and build on to the already huge cult following of his.

Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff

Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff (2009)- 9.5 crores

The second edition of the IPL saw two Englishmen take centre-stage as the most expensive buys.

Kevin Pietersen was bought by RCB whereas Andrew Flintoff was bought by CSK for a whopping sum of US$ 1.55 (9.5 crores). Going with their form, both bids seemed to be bang on but the franchises soon realized how big a mistake it was. Both batsmen remained unavailable for most of the tournament.

Pietersen scored only 93 runs in six matches at a miserable average of 15.50, 37 being his highest. In his three matches for CSK, Flintoff scored 62 runs and claimed five wickets.

Both player’s teams face each other in the semis, with RCB edging past CSK in the semi-final in South Africa only to be beaten by Adam Gilchrist’s Deccan Chargers in the finals.

Kieron Pollard & Shane Bond

Kieron Pollard and Shane Bond (2010)- 4.8 crores

MI bought Pollard on the account of his all-round performance in the 2009 T20 World Cup at a price of US $750,000 (4.8 crores) whereas KKR bought the ace fast bowler, Shane Bond, at the same price.

The current limited-overs West Indies captain, Pollard has been an integral part of the Mumbai-based franchise since the very beginning. In the first season with the club, Pollard had a decent outing, scoring 273 runs in 14 matches at an astonishing strike-rate of 185.71. Since the first season, he has come a long way, winning the title four times- 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019. In 148 IPL matches, Pollard has scored 2755 runs at 28.69. He has also contributed handsomely with the ball and taken 56 wickets.

Shane Bond helped KKR lift the team from the last spot in 2009 to the sixth spot in 2010 and took nine wickets in his eight matches with the club. Bond was one of the highlights for KKR, who were struggling and were in search of motivational performances.

Gautam Gambhir: Kolkata Knight Riders

Gautam Gambhir (2011)- 14.9 crores

KKR bought Gambhir at a whopping price of US $2.4 million (14.9 crores) and it proved to be one best buys for the franchise. Gautam Gambhir led KKR to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. In his first season for KKR, he scored 378 runs in 15 games at an average of 34.36 to put a stamp of authority with some gutsy performances.

After a remarkable performance in the final of the World Cup, doubts surrounding Gambhir’s qualities as a batsman were all done and dusted. He reveled in the responsibility of taking a bottom-table side at the top twice in three years displayed his strong character on and off the pitch.

Ravindra Jadeja: Chennai Super Kings

Ravindra Jadeja (2012)- 12.8 crores

Ravindra Jadeja was bought by CSK at a price of US$ 2 million (12.8 crores. His all-round ability with the bat, ball and in the field fetched him an enormous price. Dhoni, who built his successful IPL teams around all-rounders, bet big on the young spin-all rounder and got enormous returns.

In the first season for CSK, Jadeja scored 191 runs in 14 innings and took 12 wickets with a best of five for 16 runs. Jadeja soon became a regular in the CSK side, giving him a perfect platform to showcase his ability for the national side as well in the years to come.

Glenn Maxwell: Mumbai Indians

Glenn Maxwell (2013)- 6.3 crores

Maxwell was bought by MI for the US $1 million (6.3 crores). Seeing the destructive batsman’s form for the Australian domestic sides, Mumbai Indians’ think tank bet big on the right-hander. However, MI’s decision turned out to be an ordinary one as the Aussie failed to live up to the potential, scoring only 36 runs in three games.

Interestingly, what Mumbai Indians failed to see was his performance for Australia on the same day of the auction. In an ODI between Australia and West Indies, Maxwell was hit for four consecutive sixes by Sunil Narine and also got out on a golden duck. However, Maxwell returned to his destructive best in 2014 for the Kings XI Punjab and single-handedly took them to the finals.

Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh [2014- 14 crores & 2015-16 crores]

Yuvraj was bought for $2.33 million (14 crores) by RCB in 2014. He was the second-highest scorer for RCB with 376 runs in which he hit 28 sixes but was soon released next season as RCB failed to win the league again and continued with the shuffling.

Yuvraj again became the highest grosser for 20the 15 with the US $2.67 million (16 crores) but the franchise this time was Delhi Daredevils. He could not make huge contributions this season and his team ended up at the second last position with just 5 wins. In 14 matches for Delhi Daredevils, he scored 248 runs and took one wicket.

Shane Watson

Shane Watson (2016)- 9.5 crores

Continuing their trend of splashing big bucks, RCB bought Watson for Rs. 9.5 crore. But this time, their star all-rounder almost won them the title after taking 20 wickets.

He had an average outing with the bat where he could amass only 176 runs but took 20 wickets with the ball which was the third-highest in the list. RCB faltered at the final hurdle as they went on to lose the finals to SRH.

Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes [2017- 14.5 crores & 2018- 12.5 crores]

Now defunct franchise Rising Pune Supergiants realized Ben Stokes extra-terrestrial talents soon enough as they bought him for a whopping price of Rs. 14.5 crore.

Stokes went on to become the most valuable player of the season with 316 runs and 12 wickets from 12 matches as his team lost by the closest of margins, one run to Mumbai Indians in the final. Stokes formed a lethal combination with Steve Smith and MS Dhoni to take the franchise into the play-offs but missed the last two matches, including the final. After being bought at a high price, Stokes had expressed shock over the franchise’s decision but live up to it and bagged the most valuable player award.

Ben Stokes became the most expensive player of IPL second time in a row, after Yuvraj Singh in 2014 and 2015, where RR bought him for Rs. 12.5 crore. HE played 13 matches but could score only 196 runs and take only 8 wickets and couldn’t replicate the influence he had last season with Rising Pune Supergiants. RR reached the third spot in this season.

Jaydev Unadkat & Varun Chakravarthy

Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Chakravarthy (2019)- 8.4 crores

Bought for Rs. 8.4 crore by RR, Unadkat could take only 10 wickets in 11 matches that he played and proved to be the biggest disappointment of the season.

Varun Chakravarthy was bought by KXIP and he played only one match where he took a wicket at an expense of 35 runs in 3 overs.

Both the players couldn’t live up to they're respective price tags and were released by their franchise recently in the trading window.

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