Most expensive player at each IPL Auction from 2008 to 2018

#4 2011: Gautam Gambhir (Kolkata Knight Riders) - USD 2.4 Million

Gautam Gambhir

The fourth season of IPL provided the opportunity for the teams to completely rebuild their team from the auction list as teams were allowed to retain only a maximum 4 players. Kolkata Knight Riders, Deccan Chargers and Kings XI Punjab did not retain any of their players resulting in them having bigger salary caps in the auction.

The number of IPL teams increased from 8 to 10 with the addition of two new teams, Kochi Tuskers Kerala and Pune Warriors India. 127 players (52 Indians) were sold at the auction. Unsurprisingly Kolkata picked up the most expensive player from the lot in the form of Gautam Gambhir.

Gambhir was bought by KKR for USD 2.4 million whereas the second most expensive buy was also for KKR as they got hold of Yusuf Pathan for USD 2.1 million. This auction turned out to be a fate-changing decision for KKR as Gambhir led them to the IPL title twice in the next four seasons.

Also, the new franchise Pune Warriors India bought Robin Uthappa for the same price. Mahela Jayawardene was the most expensive foreign player as the new team Kochi Tuskers Kerala picked him up to lead the side.

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#5 2012: Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings) - USD 2 Million

Ravindra Jadeja

In the fifth edition of the IPL, the auction was mainly for the players from the defunct franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala. Pune Warriors India did not take part in the auction due to some issues with BCCI.

The remaining 8 teams took part in the auction with each team allowed to spend a maximum of USD 2 million. Chennai Super Kings used all their money to bring in the Indian allrounder Ravindra Jadeja into their squad. Sri Lankan legend Mahela Jayawardene was the second most expensive player in the list with Delhi Daredevils spending USD 1.4 milllion for him.