5 Highest-paid cricketers in IPL history

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one platform where if you perform, there is great reward as well. Many players have experienced that first hand. Moreover, if there is quality and talent, you are bound to attract a lot of attention. Teams often go on reputation and past records while choosing players in the auctions. Hence, there are players who attract bids from multiple teams in the auctions. In fact, some of the players get expensive bids every time they are up in the auction. Hence, over 12 seasons, there have been multiple cricketers who’ve been bought a lot of times. But here we are looking at players who have got the highest amount in the history of the IPL auctions i.e. the highest amount that has been spent on a player in all IPL auctions put together. Here are 5 players with highest salaries in IPL history 5. Kevin Pietersen – INR 24,52,00,000 (24.52 Crores in 4 Auctions) Kevin Pieterson. (Photo Source: Twitter) Right from the time, Kevin Pietersen entered the fray in the IPL, he was one of the big attractions. He may not have got huge sums each time but he did get significant amounts every time he was in the auction pool. It was in 2009 when he along with Andrew Flintoff broke the headlines for being the highest-paid cricketers in the IPL Pietersen was bought by RCB for a whopping sum of $1,550,000 (approx INR 9.8 crores). Having played two seasons at the Bangalore franchise, the England cricketer was back in the auction pool in 2011. Deccan Chargers spent $650,000 (approx INR 4.6 crores) for the England middle-order batsman but he didn’t play a single game that season. In 2012, he was transferred to Delhi before they bought him back for a sum of INR 9 crores in 2014. He skipped the 2015 edition and was back in the pool in 2016. Rising Pune Supergiant scalped Pietersen for INR 3 crores that year. Hence, the former England skipper’s sum came up to about INR 24.52 crores when all his winning bids were put together which puts him at No. 5 on the all-time list. 4. Ben Stokes – INR 27,00,00,000 (27 Crores in 2 Auctions) Ben Stokes. (Photo Source: Surjeet Yadav/IANS) All it took Ben Stokes to reach the top five of this list were two auctions. It was in 2017 when Ben Stokes entered the auction for the first time. His ability to have an impact in all three departments played a massive role. Rising Pune Supergiant went after him and bought him for INR 14.5 crores. The England all-rounder had a fantastic season. He scored 316 runs, picked 12 wickets and was one of RPS’ best players as they reached the final. Hence, it was no surprise that he once again attracted a lot of bids in the 2018 season. It was Rajasthan Royals who broke the bank and spent a whopping sum of INR 12.5 crores on the Durham all-rounder. Hence, in two seasons, Stokes’ total value in the IPL auction summed up to INR 27 crores. 3. Jaydev Unadkat – INR 29,60,75,000 (29.6 Crores in 8 Auctions) Jaydev Unadkat. (Photo: IANS) Jaydev Unadkat may have played ten seasons but he’s been in the auction eight times. 2011, 2012 and 2015 were the only years Unadkat didn’t appear in the IPL auction since he debuted in 2010. He has played for five teams so far and has been among the expensive buys as well. The Saurashtra fast bowler’s stocks have grown big in the last few years. Moreover, a large part of this total sum which exceeds INR 29 crores has also come from the last two auctions. Unadkat’s first big signing came in 2013 when RCB bought him for $525,000 (approx INR 3.2 crores). In the following year, it was Delhi who bid INR 2.8 crores for the left-arm pacer. In 2016, KKR bought him for INR 1.6 crores. He didn’t play a lot in 2015 and 2016 when he meant his stocks dropped. Hence, he was given just INR 30 lakhs by RPS. But 24 wickets from 13 games meant that Unadkat was back in the big frame. Hence, RR broke the bank to splash INR 11.5 crores in 2018. After his disappointing performance, they released him only to buy him back at a slightly lesser price in 2019 (INR 8.4 crores). 2. Dinesh Karthik – INR 38,85,00,000 (38.85 Crores in 7 Auctions) Kuldeep Yadav. (Photo: IANS) Dinesh Karthik is probably one of the unluckiest Indian cricketers. His career collided with that of MS Dhoni who simply owned the wicketkeeper’s slot in the national team. Hence, Karthik was reduced to an injury replacement more often than not. But he excelled in the IPL and was one of the biggest attractions. In 2008, Delhi bought him for $525,000 (INR 2.4 crores). Three years later, it was KXIP who broke the bank and paid a hefty sum of $900,000 for the Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper. In 2012, he was transferred to MI for a whopping sum of INR 12.5 crores. However, it was in 2014 and 2015, his stocks shot up insanely. He attracted a lot of attention in 2014 before Delhi finally pouched him for INR 10.5 crores. In 2015, RCB went a few steps further as they shelled out a mind-boggling INR 12.5 crores for Karthik. Gujarat Lions bought him for INR 2.3 crores in 2016 before KKR won a bidding war and settled on INR 7.4 crores in 2018. Thus, overall, Karthik’s value in the auctions approximately summed up to INR 38.85 crores which puts him second on this list. 1. Yuvraj Singh – INR 48,10,00,000 (48.1 Crores in 7 Auctions) Kings XI Punjab’s Yuvraj Singh. (Photo: IANS) It is rather surprising that a player of Yuvraj Singh’s calibre has switched so many teams. He never found a permanent franchise and always kept roaming around. Hence, as a result, he was a part of the IPL auctions. And more often than not, he was one of the big attractions. In 2008, he was KXIP’s icon player and was bought for $925,000. He played three years in the Mohali-based franchise. Pune Warriors shelled out $1.8 million (approx INR 8.28 crores). After three years, the Punjab all-rounder made headlines once again when RCB went berserk and bought Yuvraj for a whopping INR 14 crores. Delhi went one step better in 2015 as they shelled out a staggering INR 16 crores for the southpaw. However, inconsistent performances through the years meant Yuvraj’s utility went down. In 2016, he fetched INR 7 crores from SRH. He stayed there for two seasons. But the next two times, Yuvraj was bought at his base price. In 2018, KXIP bought him for INR 2 crores while MI bought him for just INR 1 crore in 2019. Hence, Yuvraj may not have been that big an attraction in the last couple of years but till 2016, teams shelled out a lot of money. Thus, in the process, he became the highest-paid player from IPL auctions in the 12 years. In total, he received about INR 48.10 crores from IPL auctions.

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5 Highest-paid cricketers in IPL history

Over 12 seasons, there have been multiple cricketers who’ve been bought a lot of times.

4. Ben Stokes – INR 27,00,00,000 (27 Crores in 2 Auctions)

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