Indian (domestic) players are always in high demand in the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) as they form the core of every team and every franchise wants to have some top-quality domestic players in their ranks so that they can build their squad around them. Today, we will look at the top-5 most expensive Indian players in the IPL Auction history.
1. Yuvraj Singh (Batter, 16 crores)
The flamboyant left-handed Indian batter was bought by Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the 2015 season for a sum of INR 16 crores making him the most expensive Indian player in Tata IPL Auction history. In the previous season, he was bought by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for INR 14 crores but was released due to lack of performance. When playing for Delhi, he had a very poor season scoring just 248 runs in 14 matches with a strike rate of a mere 118.09. He disappointed the whole Delhi franchise with his non-performance in the 2015 season and was released by them before the next season of the Indian Premier League.
2. Ishan Kishan (Batter, 15.25 crores)
In the 2022 Tata IPL mega auction, Ishan Kishan was bought by the Mumbai Indians franchise for INR 15.25 crores making him the second-most expensive Indian player in Tata IPL auction history after Yuvraj Singh. He was bought by Mumbai Indians for opening the innings with Rohit Sharma, their captain and Kishan was also the wicketkeeper for them. He had a decent season as far as the number of runs he scored is concerned but in terms of impact, his performance was not up to the mark. He scored 418 runs in 14 matches with an average of 32.15 but his strike rate of 120.11 was just not enough. His role was to attack from the top in the power play and put Mumbai’s innings into a good position but he failed more often than not. He has still been retained by the MI franchise and would look forward to altering his mistakes of the previous season.
3. Yuvraj Singh (Batter, 14 crores)
Yuvraj Singh has always been a very important cricketer in Indian cricketing history, whether International or Domestic. He used to be in high demand in IPL auctions even if he didn’t perform because of his reputation. In the year 2014, Royal Challengers Bangalore spent heavily on him (INR 14 crores) hoping he would help change the team’s fortunes but he wasn’t able to. He had a decent season with the bat though but didn’t provide much impact and didn’t finish matches due to which RCB missed out on a playoff spot. He scored 376 runs at an average of 34 and a strike rate of almost 135. He was released by the RCB franchise the very next season because he didn’t fit into their scheme of things.
4. Dinesh Karthik (Batter, 12.5 crores)
Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) bought Dinesh Karthik in the 2014 auction with a lot of hopes as they paid INR 12.5 crores for him to be on their team. Karthik though didn’t perform up to the expectations may be due to the price tag pressure and Delhi’s team once again missed out on the playoff spot. He scored 325 runs at a strike of just 125 and failed to perform in crunch situations and whenever the team needed the most. He was their wicket keeper too but performed below par in that department too. He was then released by Delhi ahead of the 2015 season where he played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
5. Shreyas Iyer (Batter, 12.25 crores)
Before the 2022 IPL mega auction, the Kolkata Knight Riders franchise was without a captain, and they desperately wanted to go for Shreyas Iyer because he was also released by Delhi Capitals. Kolkata Knight Riders finally got Shreyas Iyer after involving in a lot of bidding wars for INR 12.25 crores making him one of the most expensive Indian buys in IPL Auction history. He was announced as the captain of the Kolkata franchise and was designated to bat at number 3. He had a decent season in 2022 after coming back from an injury in the 2021 season. He scored 401 runs in 14 matches with an average of 30.85 at a strike rate of 130+. He played some impact innings as well in the tournament but was not enough to take his team over the playoff line. He has been retained by the KKR franchise as their captain and we hope to see Shreyas Iyer continue his international form in the IPL.
