IPL 2018: Team wise highest paid Indian players

The biggest cricketing extravaganza in India’s calendar, IPL 2018 got underway with the player auction for the same taking place earlier this weekend. And in a bid to bolster their squad for the upcoming season, the franchises went all guns blazing to procure their desired players in the 2 days of intense action. While we witnessed some big money spending by the teams, there were a few heavyweights who went unsold as well. Thus with all done and dusted, the teams have acquired their required arsenals as they prep up for the mega-event. We take a look at the highest paid Indian cricketer in each team. 1. Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers Bangalore) – 17 Cr Virat Kohli of RCB. (Photo Source: Twitter) The Indian skipper once again lived up to his lofty standards as he was retained by RCB faithful for a whopping 17 Cr. Kohli, who has been a supreme leader of the side became the highest paid Indian for the upcoming IPL edition. The charismatic batsman has played all his IPL cricket with the RCB franchise. By making him in charge of the team for a few games in IPL 2012, the Royal Challengers Bangalore groomed him as their next leader, which he eventually became in the 2013 season. Retained by the franchise ahead of the IPL Player Auction 2018, Virat will continue to lead the side. 2. Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians) – 15 Cr Rohit Sharma of Mumbai Indians in action. (Photo: Twitter) Speaking about the most successful team in IPL, the Mumbai based franchise finds their most expensive Indian in the swashbuckling opener, Rohit Sharma. Sharma, who is the latest cricketer to skipper the Indian side, led Mumbai Indians to their third IPL victory in the last edition. The right-hander’s services were acquired for a whopping 15 Cr. Rohit Sharma made his debut for Mumbai Indians in 2011 and has been leading the team since 2013. With 4,207 runs in 154 innings, the opening batsman has the most runs for Mumbai in the history of the IPL. 3. MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings) – 15 Cr MS Dhoni and Ravi Ashwin. (Photo Source: Twitter) The ‘adopted son of Chennai’, MS Dhoni is unarguably the marquee player for the Chennai Super Kings. The former Indian skipper led the franchise to two IPL title wins before they got served with a 2-year ban. Nevertheless, the wicketkeeper-batsman boasts of being the highest paid Indian in his side. He was retained by the franchise for a staggering INR 15 Cr. The 36-year-old will once again be bestowed with captaincy duties as he aims to restore his past glories. 4. Jaydev Unadkat (Rajasthan Royals) – 11.5 Cr Jaydev Unadkat of Rising Pune Supergiant. (Photo: Twitter) A surprise addition to the list is Saurashtra pacer Jaydev Unadkat. The 26-year-old bagged a massive 11.5 crore deal with the inaugural champions of IPL, Rajasthan Royals. With the mega-contract, Unadkat also becomes the most expensive Indian player in the 11th edition of the IPL. The left-hander first came to the spotlight when he made his debut for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2010 and earned the praises of Even Wasim Akram thought highly of the medium pacer. In the previous season, he represented the now-discarded Pune Supergiant. 5. Rishabh Pant (Delhi Daredevils) – 8 Cr Rishabh Pant of Delhi Daredevils. (Photo Source: Twitter) Delhi Daredevils are perhaps the perennial under-performers in the IPL. Apart from an initial couple of seasons, Delhi has always been sidelined in the competition and despite all the coaching and pedigree in the squad, have failed to secure the critical moments in the league. Now with the chance to have a new beginning and start from scratch, the franchise has gone all guns blazing at acquired a team that looks lethal on paper. 6. KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab) – 11 Cr KL Rahul. (Photo Source: Twitter) Despite a poor run of form at last year’s IPL, Kings XI didn’t shy away from shelling out a huge sum for the Karnataka batsman, KL Rahul. The India opener went to Kings XI Punjab for whopping Rs 11 crores. The 25-year-old had previously represented RCB and SRH. However, the Karnataka batsman did not have a great outing last year and was out of the national side for a long time due to injury. But that did not stop the franchises from investing heavily in him as the star batsman will look to find his mojo back and return the favor to his new franchise. 7. Dinesh Karthik (Kolkata Knight Riders) – 7.4 Cr Dinesh Karthik of India. (Photo by Harry Trump – IDI/IDI via Getty Images) The wicket-keeper batsman was roped in by the two-time champions for a massive 7.4 Cr. Also, in the absence of Gambhir from the squad, Karthik has been dubbed as one of the favorites to lead the side in the upcoming edition IPL. He has the experience of leading Tamil Nadu and given and is one of the most experienced players in the current KKR setup. Karthik has to play the role of a finisher, as the middle order lacks too much experience and in case of injuries, the team might be in trouble. 8. Manish Pandey (Sunrisers Hyderabad) -11 Cr Indian cricketer Manish Pandey. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP/Getty Images) The top-order batsman, who was an integral cog of KKR until the last edition, will now be seen donning the orange outfit of the Hyderabad franchise. Pandey, who has displayed some impeccable form and is a lynchpin at the top of the order, was procured by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for an impressive 11cr. Pandey’s performances have even earned him a spot in India’s limited-overs squad and the 28-year-old will be keen justify his price tag by delivering for his new franchise in IPL 2018.

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IPL 2018: Team wise highest paid Indian players

Here is a look at the highest paid Indians in the IPL.

6. KL Rahul (Kings XI Punjab) – 11 Cr

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