The IPL 2026 season is taking one step closer as a total of 350 players have been finalized for the upcoming auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16. While cricket lovers await which team their favorite player will join, here is the list of the most expensive buys in previous mini-auctions.
1. Mitchell Starc – Rs 24.75 crore (KKR, 2024)
The left-arm fast bowler from the Australian cricket team currently holds the title of most expensive player ever bought in IPL mini auctions.
He was in the limelight during the IPL mini auction 2024, when Kolkata Knight Riders, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Gujarat Titans competed to buy him for their teams. Bollywood’s Shahrukh Khan-backed KKR eventually won with a bid of Rs 24.75 crore, which at that time accounted for 75.69% of their auction purse. This led to Starc becoming the most expensive player ever purchased in an IPL auction.
Prior to KKR, Starc played for RCB in 2015. And KKR definitely knew an eye for the gem, because Starc did not disappoint them in 2024. His experience and skills paid off for KKR in the playoffs. As per ESPN Cricinfo, Starc’s 3 for 34 knocked Sunrisers Hyderabad off their feet in Qualifier 1, before blitzing them out in the final once again with 2 for 14 to give KKR their third IPL title.
Starc is currently Australia’s fourth-highest wicket-taker in both Test and One Day International cricket.
2. Pat Cummins – Rs 20.50 crore (SRH, 2024)
Yet another Aussie, Cummins is the captain of the Australian men’s national cricket team in Test and One Day International cricket. He is considered as one of the fastest bowlers and greatest bowling captains of all time.
In 2024, before Starc, Cummins held the title for most expensive player ever bought in an IPL auction, for just a few minutes. Teams like MI, Chennai Super Kings, RCB, and SRH were ready to empty their purse for him. The teams propelled to cross the Rs 10 crore mark bid, but later on RCB and SRH were the only two in a neck-to-neck competition to buy him.
Eventually, SRH did not budge and got Cummins for a bid of Rs 20.50 crore, making him the second most bought IPL player in history.
During the IPL 2024 season, Cummins stood as a pillar and the biggest contributor to their team. His economy score stood at 9.27, and he had 18 wickets under his belt. Leading SRH as a captain, he took the team to end that season as runners-up in their first final appearance since 2016.
3. Sam Curran – 18.50 crore (PBKS, 2023)
Samuel Matthew Curran MBE is among the star cricketers from England. As per IPL website, the 24-year-old emerged as the costliest buy after PBKS bought him for a gobsmacking amount of Rs. 18.5 crore in 2023 season.
Curran returned to the IPL field after a 1-year gap, but he immediately stood out with 13 wickets and 95 runs, with a highest score of an unbeaten 55 in 2023. For PBKS, his batting form was better in 2023, where he scored 276 runs at a strike rate of 135.96. PBKS kept him for another season, where his bowling form outperformed with 16 wickets at 26.
His journey in IPL had been a roller coaster. In 2020, after being promoted to the top, Curran proved his credentials with the bat, scoring 186 runs with a half-century for Chennai Super Kings. IPL 2021 was a difficult year for Curran as he bagged just nine wickets and didn’t impress either with 56 runs.
4. Cameron Green – Rs 17.50 crore (MI, 2023)
The right-handed Australian-origin batter has only played two seasons of IPL so far. He is another all-rounder and had a huge demand in 2023 IPL season. Mumbai Indians, RCB, and Delhi Capitals were in a tug-of-war for having Green in their teams, however, MI won with bid of Rs 17.50 crore, making him the fourth most expensive player ever bought.
Green’s 2023 IPL season has been stronger and exactly what MI needed. He scored a total of 452 runs with a master strike rate of 160.28, and his highest run was 100 in a match. His average stood at 50.22.
5. Ben Stokes – Rs 16.25 crore (CSK, 2023)
The New Zealand-born England cricketer, Ben Stokes, is seen as one of the finest player in the world of cricket. There is still a wave of nostalgia and an awe over his unrelenting and fierce performance in 2019 Cricket World Cup which led England to victory. Stokes is also one of the most-loved cricketer in IPL.
Stokes became the fifth most expensive player of IPL season in 2023, when CSK snatched him with Rs 16.25 crore bid against RCB, RR, LSG and SRH.
However, Stokes only played just two matches in IPL 2023 season for CSK. And he has not played since then.
6. Chris Morris – Rs. 16.25 crore (RR, 2021):
In 2021, RR won the fierce the bidding war during the player auction ahead of the IPL 2021 and brought Morris on board for a whopping sum of Rs 16.25 crore, making him the most expensive player of that time.
During 2021 season, the South Africa all-rounder played 11 matches and took out 15 wickets. His economy rate stood at 9.17, while he averaged at 13.40 and held a strike rate of 136.73. Earlier, he was part of RCB in IPL 2020, and despite missing the initial part of the season, he made his presence felt with the ball, scalping 11 wickets from 9 games. He was a key player for Delhi’s campaigns over the last few seasons, starring with both bat and ball.