The IPL is entering its 19th season and huge sums of money have been spent on many players all these years. The IPL, due to its huge funding, often attracts players of global standards; However, several names on this list may definitely surprise fans.
Players like MS Dhoni were among the first players to receive the highest amount of money in the inaugural season in 2008, and since then, this legacy has been carried forward by a mix of both Indian and foreign players.
Rishabh Pant still remains the most expensive player in the history of IPL, as the Lucknow Super Giants captain was bought for Rs 27 crore in the IPL 2025 mega-auction. He was followed by his former Delhi teammate Shreyas Iyer, who went to Punjab Kings for Rs 26.75 crore.
From MS Dhoni to Yuvraj Singh: Here are all the highest-paid Indian cricketers in an edition of the IPL auction
Over the years, many Indians have been bought for huge sums in the IPL. In the inaugural season of IPL, former Indian captain MS Dhoni was bought by Chennai Super Kings for a whopping price of $1.5 million, the highest for that season. Such has been his legacy that even after 19 seasons, he is still a part of the Yellow Army.
The record made by MS Dhoni was broken when Gautam Gambhir was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for $2.4 million in the 2011 auction. The very next season, CSK bought all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja for a huge sum of $2M.
Yuvraj Singh broke all records as he became the only player and till date the only Indian player to feature in the list of highest paid cricketers twice in the entire auction. In 2014 and 2015, during two different seasons, he was bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) for ₹14 and ₹16 crore respectively.
The three other Indian players in the list include Jaydev Unadkat in 2019, Ishan Kishan in 2022 and Rishabh Pant in the 2025 mega-auction.
Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Cameron Green: Australians rule highest-paid players overseas chart in IPL auction
Among the highest-earning foreign cricketers, Australian players have always dominated the IPL. Although earlier it included players like England’s Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff, West Indies’ Kieron Pollard and England’s Ben Stokes.
Like Yuvraj Singh, Ben Stokes is the only overseas player to have been included in this list twice, once in 2017 and again in 2018, bought by Rising Pune Supergiants and Rajasthan Royals for Rs 14.5 and Rs 12.5 crore respectively.
However, the likes of Glenn Maxwell (2013), Shane Watson (2016), Pat Cummins (2020), Mitchell Starc (2024), and Cameron Green (2026) are all Australians, and they have raked in huge amounts of money in all these seasons.
Here are the highest paid players in each IPL auction
| Year | player | Team | price | Player Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | ms dhoni | Chennai Super Kings | $1.5M | Indian |
| 2009 | Kevin Pietersen, Flintoff | rcb, csk | $1.55M | migrant |
| 2010 | Kieron Pollard, Bond | MI, KKR | $750K, | migrant |
| 2011 | Gautam Gambhir | KKR | $2.4M | Indian |
| 2012 | Ravindra Jadeja | Chennai Super Kings | $2m | Indian |
| 2013 | glen maxwell | MI | $1M | migrant |
| 2014 | Yuvraj Singh | rcb | 14.0 crores | Indian |
| 2015 | Yuvraj Singh | DD | 16.0 crores | Indian |
| 2016 | shane watson | rcb | 9.5 crores | migrant |
| 2017 | ben stokes | rps | 14.5 crores | migrant |
| 2018 | ben stokes | RR | 12.5 crores | migrant |
| 2019 | Jaydev Unadkat | RR | 8.4 crores | Indian |
| 2020 | pat cummins | KKR | 15.5 crores | migrant |
| 2021 | chris morris | RR | 16.25 crores | migrant |
| 2022 | Ishan Kishan | MI | 15.25 crores | Indian |
| 2023 | Sam Curran | PBKS | 18.5 crores | migrant |
| 2024 | Mitchell Starc | KKR | 24.75 crores | migrant |
| 2025 | Rishabh Pant | lsg | 27.0 crores | Indian |
| 2026 | cameron green | KKR | 25.20 crores | migrant |
Also Read: IPL 2026 title race after auction: 4 teams who look like champions now
