Original salary of Indian stars in the 2008 IPL Auctions

The IPL 2019 auctions are done and dusted and we have new crorepatis who could set the IPL stage on fire this time. From the first season of the IPL, there has been a lot of change in how the tournament is played. With auctions every year, the IPL keeps getting new talent that showcases its worth on T20's biggest platform.

There have been a few players who have proved their worth for several years and have gone on to become IPL legends. Last year, Virat Kohli became the most expensive player in the IPL after he was retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the franchise he has been playing for since the beginning of the IPL.

Here are a few players who have had stupendous IPL records over the years, and the original price for which they were bought.

The USD - INR value is based on the conversion on 20th February 2008 : 1$ = Rs. 40.12

#1 Suresh Raina - ($650,000 / Rs. 2.6 Cr)

The swashbuckling left-hander has been the cornerstone of Chennai Super Kings' success for years, and was taken back by the franchise after spending two years in Gujarat Lions. Suresh Raina had made his India debut in 2005 and was a known entity in international cricket by the time the first IPL came.

Base priced at $125,000, Raina jumped to a price of $650,000 by the end of the inaugural auction, and is now the leading run-getter in the tournament, going neck to neck with Virat Kohli. At this moment, he is just 15 runs away from completing 5000 IPL runs.

His presence in the upper middle order has helped Chennai several times in the IPL and while his international career continues to fade into the obscurity, the CSK boy still manages to attract crowds because of the fan following amid the Yellow Army.

#4 Gautam Gambhir ($725,000/Rs. 2.9 Cr)

Gautam Gambhir

The left-handed batsman recently announced his retirement from all forms of the game, and even revealed in an interview that 'he won't pick up a bat again'.

Over several IPL seasons, Gautam Gambhir proved how he is a good fit even in the T20 format, playing an integral role despite not having the firepower of other T20 stars. His ability to find boundaries regularly without putting a lot of effort, and the versatility to clear the boundary when the need arises, make him a valuable player at the top.

He played for his hometown franchise from 2008-2010 but found success in much larger measure playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders, whom he captained to the title in 2012 and 2014.

He was bought for $725,000 in the first auctions. He returned to the Daredevils as captain in IPL 2018, but quit midway through the tournament.

#3 Rohit Sharma ($750,000/Rs. 3 Cr)

Rohit Sharma

The youngster made his debut for India in 2007 and made a mark in the World T20 with a couple of swift knocks. The 2008 CB series made him a player to look out for and by the time the first IPL came, Rohit Sharma was identified as one for the future.

In the inaugural season, Rohit Sharma was taken by the Deccan Chargers who were captained by VVS Laxman. He stayed with the franchise for the first three years and created a mark in the T20 format. But, the real success came after his association with the Mumbai Indians, a franchise which he now captains.

Apart from being an astute captain, he is a compact batsman who can accelerate the run-flow with his brilliant strokeplay.

In the first season, Rohit was bought for a price of Rs. 3 Crore by the Hyderabad-based team.

# MS Dhoni ($1.5 million/Rs. 6 Cr)

MS Dhoni

Captain Cool MS Dhoni has captained CSK to three IPL titles and has garnered an immense fan following in Chennai due to his exploits spread across 11 years. Even though he played for Rising Pune Supergiant for two seasons, he will forever be synonymous with the Super Kings.

In the inaugural season, Dhoni arrived fresh after the roaring success of the 2007 World T20, that made him a supremely popular entity in world cricket. He was not part of the icon group of players, and was part of the auctions in February 2008.

In 2009, Dhoni's price was bettered by Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen, who were bought for $1.55m each.

Not surprisingly, Dhoni got the fattest paycheck of them all, gathering a whopping $1.5 million and was sealed to the destiny of the Super Kings. The way he managed to script the success of the Yellow Army is there for everyone to see.

#1 Virat Kohli ($30,000/Rs. 12 Lakh)

The biggest steal of them all was Virat Kohli, who was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for a measly sum of Rs. 12 Lakh in the U-23 quota. Delhi Daredevils had a chance to procure him, but bought left-arm pacer Pradeep Sangwan instead.

Kohli was hot property after leading the Indian team to the U-19 World Cup title in Malaysia earlier that year. He had not made his India debut yet but had proved himself in domestic cricket for Delhi. The Daredevils had a chance to rope him in but chose Pradeep Sangwan instead.

Kohli was taken by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, who were captained by Rahul Dravid in the inaugural season. He did not have great success in the initial seasons for the Royal Challengers but became much more consistent after 2011, when the team had a new look.

He was also made full-time captain but a title still eludes him.