From Rs 6 crore to Rs 27 crore: Mapping the evolution of IPL’s most expensive players

New Delhi: Arguably the world’s best and biggest cricket league and one of the richest sporting leagues, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has come a long way since its inception in 2008. There were questions surrounding the league’s future, its sustainability and its impact on world cricket when the BCCI capitalised on India’s maiden T20 World Cup success to launch the IPL in 2008.

But 17 years down the line, the IPL stands tall as one of the world’s best sporting events as it continues to captivate audiences across India and around the globe. Any doubts about the league’s initial future have been put to bed as the IPL has witnessed remarkable growth over the years, turning fortunes of the BCCI and Indian cricket.

With the league growing in stature and its brand value skyrocketing with every passing year, the players have also benefitted tremendously. Over the years, IPL’s mega auctions have witnessed a steep increase in the amount spent by the franchises with the most expensive players pocketing big fat contracts. In some cases, the most expensive picks at the IPL auctions have also gone to fetch an amount far greater than the value of their central contracts with their respective national teams.

Rishabh Pant’s historic deal

Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) smashed all records in the IPL 2025 mega auction on Sunday after they splurged a whopping Rs 27 crore to sign Team India wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant, making him the most expensive player in IPL history. Pant pipped his India teammate Shreyas Iyer, who was sold for an eye-watering Rs 26.75 minutes before him in the same round at the auction.

Pant and Iyer both surpassed Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders for a staggering Rs 24.75 crore in the mini auction last year, becoming the most expensive player in the IPL at the time. Pant and Iyer combined have commanded a fee of Rs 53.75 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction, which is nearly the value of an IPL team’s entire purse a decade ago.

The Evolution of IPL Spending: From 2008 to 2025

Ahead of the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008, there was caution mixed with aggression in the approach of some teams but the intent was always clear. There was no dearth of cash despite the BCCI not being the powerhouse that it is today and Indian cricket still battling several persistent issues. However, there was a belief that the IPL would exceed expectations and emerge as the single biggest cricket league in the world.

An impressive $36.43 million were spent by the eight teams at the time in the inaugural IPL auction in 2008 with MS Dhoni emerging as the costliest pick at $1.5 million (Approximately Rs 6 crore at the time). Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the only team without an icon player at the time, beat Mumbai Indians (MI) to the signing of the former India captain, a move that changed Indian cricket forever.

There was no stopping the IPL after the massive success of the inaugural edition in 2008 as the league has grown at a rapid pace over the years. From transactions being made in USD in the first few auctions, IPL transitioned to transactions in Rupees in 2014 and the overall purse has grown year after year. From a purse of Rs 60 crore in 2014, each team now has Rs 120 crore to spend in the ongoing IPL 2025 mega auction.

While it took around Rs 6 crore to get the most expensive signing in the inaugural edition, LSG had to raise the bar to Rs 27 crore to ensure they got Rishabh Pant, the biggest Indian name at the IPL 2025 mega auction on Sunday.

As many as three teams had to spend over Rs 20 crore to get their desired marquee Indian signings at the auction, highlighting teams’ much-enhanced spending power in the IPL at present. While there were no Rs 20-crore plus signings in the IPL auctions till last year, there have been five in the last two seasons.

From Yuvraj Singh getting sold for a then-record sum of Rs 16 crore to Delhi Daredevils in 2015 to South Africa all-rounder Chris Morris breaking the long-standing record with his Rs 16.25 crore move to Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2021 auction, records have been rewritten on several occasions. But the prominent names continue to raise the bar as teams continue to spend big money on their desired signings at the IPL auctions.

Here is a look at the most expensive signings in every IPL auction:

Rise in spending power of IPL teams

From being India’s first unicorn with a brand value of over $1.1 billion in 2008, IPL’s valuation skyrocketed to over $11 billion in 2024, a staggering increase of over 400%. With the league’s incredible growth, the BCCI has continued to swell the purses of the franchises at every auction. From a purse of Rs 60 crore at the IPl 2014 auction, the teams have Rs 120 crore each to spend at the mega auction this year.

The Rs 200 crore mark was breached for the first time by all IPL teams combined on players at the IPL 2014 mega auction. In the 2022 mega auction, the amount stood at a whopping Rs 557 crore after the introduction of two new teams which made IPL a ten-team tournament. The IPL 2024 mini-auction saw the ten teams combine to spend Rs 230.45 crore – the most in a mini-auction in the tournament’s history.

Records tumbled on Day 1 of the IPL 2025 mega auction on Sunday as the ten franchises combined to spend a huge sum of Rs 467.95 crore on 72 players alone, well on course of beating the Rs 557 crore mark from the IPL 2022 mega auction. Out of the Rs 467.95 crore spent on Day 1, Rs 113.50 crore (Roughly 24%) of the money was spent on the top 5 most expensive players sold at the IPL 2025 mega auction.

Here is a look at the money spent by teams in IPL auctions:

IPL 2008 Auction – $36.43 Million

IPL 2009 Auction – $7.65 Million

IPL 2010 Auction – $3.65 Million

IPL 2011 Mega Auction – $62.775

IPL 2012 Auction – $10.995

IPL 2013 Auction – $11.885

IPL 2014 Mega Auction – Rs 262 Crore

IPL 2015 Auction – Rs 87.6 Crore

IPL 2016 Auction – Rs 136 Crore

IPL 2017 Auction – Rs 91 Crore

IPL 2018 Mega Auction – Rs 431 Crore

IPL 2019 Auction – Rs 106.8 Crore

IPL 2020 Auction – Rs 140.3 Crore

IPL 2021 Auction – Rs 145.3 Crore

IPL 2022 Mega Auction – Rs 557 Crore

IPL 2023 Auction – Rs 167 Crore

IPL 2024 Auction – Rs 230.45 Crore

*IPL 2025 Auction – Rs 467.95 Crore and counting

The ten teams have spent over Rs 467 crore combined already on Day 1 of the IPL 2025 mega auction and are well on course to setting a new spending record in a single auction in the tournament’s history.

 Lucknow Super Giants broke the bank to sign Rishabh Pant for a record Rs 27 crore at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction, making the Indian wicket-kepeer batter the most expensive player in the history of the tournament. Here is a look at IPL’s financial evolution and the astronomical rise in players’ salaries over the years.  Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today