IPL History: Most expensive players by teams and countries

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction gets underway on November 24 and ends on November 25 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

Since the inception of the league in 2008, the IPL auction has intrigued the fans. They wait for the auctions with bated breath to see how their teams go about in assembling their squads. The IPL 2025 mega auction will provide another opportunity for teams to revamp their squads and challenge for the coveted title next year.

Mitchell Starc holds the record for being the most expensive player in IPL history. The Australian left-arm seamer was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders during the mini auction ahead of IPL 2024 for a whopping INR 24.75 crore. Starc needed some time to get into his groove after coming out of an eight-year hiatus but he proved his worth by winning the Player of the Match award in Qualifier 1 and the final.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli is the most expensive Indian player to play in the IPL. He was retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for an awe-inspiring INR 21 crore ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. The former India captain has spent 17 seasons at RCB and will want to help his team to an elusive first IPL title next year.

As far as the most expensive Indian buy at the IPL auction is concerned, the legendary all-rounder Yuvraj Singh tops the charts as he was signed by Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) for INR 16 crore at the 2015 IPL auction. However, the southpaw failed to do justice to his potential as he scored just 248 runs from 14 matches at an average of 19.07. Yuvraj was released ahead of the following season.

Also Check: How much money has been spent at each IPL auction?

Most expensive player for each team in IPL

Most expensive player in IPL for each country

Most expensive Indian buys in IPL auction history