Highest paid IPL player. Who is the most expensive player in IPL History?

Highest paid IPL player: The Indian Premier League (IPL) has become one of the most lucrative platforms for professional cricketers, offering an opportunity to showcase their skills and earn significant sums of money. The tournament brings together the best cricketers from around the world, excluding those from Pakistan, to compete in one of the most competitive leagues in the world. The 2023 season is set to begin in April and has already generated a lot of excitement and anticipation, breaking several records even before the first match.

In this year’s IPL player auction, Sam Curran, the English all-rounder, made history as the most expensive player to be picked up by a team. Punjab Kings won the bid for Curran with a whopping INR 185 million ($2.26 million), after a heated competition with Chennai Super Kings. Curran’s outstanding performance in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia solidified his position as a top white-ball player. Other players who had a successful IPL auction include fellow England all-rounder Ben Stokes, young batsman Harry Brook, and Australia’s Cameron Green, who attracted high bids from various teams and to be counted amongst the Highest paid IPL player.

Highest paid IPL player. Who is the most expensive player in IPL History?

1. Sam Curran – INR 18.50 Crore

Sam Curran was the Highest paid IPL player in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction and was eventually acquired by the Punjab Kings franchise. This was largely due to his outstanding performance in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where he was named the Player of the Tournament and also won the Player of the Match award in the final, helping England secure a victory against Australia.

Curran missed the 2022 IPL mega auction due to a back injury and rehabilitation. Despite this, he was able to secure a contract with the Punjab Kings in 2019, which marked his debut in the IPL. Prior to joining the Kings, he had two seasons playing for the Chennai Super Kings. In his three seasons playing in the IPL, Curran has proven to be a valuable all-rounder, with impressive batting and bowling statistics. Over 32 games, he has scored 337 runs with a strike rate of 149.78 and taken 32 wickets with an economy rate of 9.21.

2. Cameron Green – INR 17.50 Crore

During the IPL 2023 auction held in Kochi, Cameron Green was signed by Mumbai Indians for a hefty sum of Rs 17.50 crore, making him the second most expensive player in the league. Despite intense bidding from Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, the five-time IPL champion Mumbai secured the signature of the talented all-rounder.

Green made his T20I debut for Australia in April 2022 and has made an immediate impact with his strong performances. In just 8 matches, he has an impressive strike rate of 173.75, including two half-centuries against India with scores of 61 from 30 balls and 52 from 21 deliveries.

3. Ben Stokes – INR 16.25 Crore

Ben Stokes was bought by the Chennai Super Kings during the 2023 IPL Auction, tying the record for the third-most expensive player in IPL history with South African Chris Morris. Stokes’ impressive performance in the T20 World Cup, where he helped England lift the trophy, generated interest from multiple teams during the auction.

Starting at a base price of Rs 2 crore, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals were among the teams bidding for Stokes, before Chennai Super Kings entered the bidding at Rs 7 crore. Sunrisers Hyderabad also joined in, but it was the MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings that eventually secured Stokes for Rs 16.25 crore, making it the third highest bid ever in the IPL. Stokes contributed to England’s victory in the T20 World Cup final against Pakistan with an unbeaten 52 and also took six wickets at an economy of 6.79 during the tournament.

4. Chris Morris – INR 16.25 Crore

Chris Morris became the most expensive player in the history of the Indian Premier League when he was acquired by the Rajasthan Royals in the 2021 IPL mini-auction. The Royal Challengers Bangalore had released Morris ahead of the auction after purchasing him for INR 10 crore the previous year. A bidding war between several teams saw Morris’s value increase more than 21 times his base price of INR 75 lakh to INR 16.25 crore.

During IPL 2021, Morris was the leading wicket-taker for Rajasthan, taking 15 wickets in 11 matches. However, his performance with the bat was not impressive, scoring only 67 runs with an average of 13.40. After the season, Morris announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in January 2022.

5. Nicholas Pooran – INR 16 Crore

Nicholas Pooran was signed by Lucknow Super Giants for a sum of Rs 16 crore during the 2023 IPL auction, making him the most expensive wicketkeeper-batter in IPL auction history. Pooran had previously played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2022 season, where he was picked up during the mega auction for a cost of Rs 10.75 crore.

However, he was released by the franchise ahead of the mini auction. Over the course of 14 matches, Pooran scored 306 runs. Throughout his four seasons in the IPL, Pooran has played for both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings. The West Indies player boasts an average of 26.06 with a strike rate of 151.24 in the tournament.