Top five most expensive buys in the history of Indian T20 League

The Indian T20 League is all set for another mega auction which is scheduled to take place in Kochi on 23rd December 2022.  With stars like Sam Curran, Cameron Green, and Kane Williamson slated to go under the hammer, the 16th edition of the Indian T20 League auction is set for heated bidding wars as teams scramble to assemble a title-winning line-up.

Here is a look at the top five most expensive buys in the history of the league: 

5. Ben Stokes (Pune Franchise): INR 14.5 Crore

Ben Stokes (Source: Twitter)

England Test skipper Ben Stokes was bought by the Pune franchise in 2017 for INR 14.5 crores. He scored 317 runs with a strike rate of 142.98 which included a match-winning 63-ball hundred against the Suresh Raina-led Gujarat franchise. He was brilliant with the ball as well in that season as he took 12 wickets and leaked runs at an economy of just above seven. In the next season that is 2018, he was bought for INR 12.25 Crore by the Rajasthan franchise. 

4. Kyle Jamieson(Bangalore Franchise): INR 15 Crore

Kyle Jamieson (Source: Twitter)

The New Zealand pacer Kyle Jamieson played only one season back in 2021 for the Bangalore side. He was bought by the franchise for INR 15 Crore. The 26-year-old bagged 6/7 which is his best T20I figure while playing for the Blackcaps. The right-arm pacer was set to light up the cash-rich league. In the 2021 edition, he took only nine wickets and conceded runs at an economy of 9.60. After a couple of poor performances in the UAE leg of the tournament, Jamieson was dropped for the remainder of the season and failed to make Bangalore franchise retention cut.

3. Pat Cummins (Kolkata Franchise): INR 15.5 Crore 

Pat Cummins (Source: Twitter)

The Australian skipper Pat Cummins took the Indian T20 League by storm in 2020 when the Kolkata franchise bought him into their squad for INR 15.5 Crore. This made him the second most expensive overseas player after South Africa’s Chris Morris in this league. In that season, he took 12 wickets for the franchise and score crucial runs in the lower order, including a quick-fire fifty batting at number seven. But for this season, he has withdrawn his name from the auctions due to a hectic International schedule. 

2. Yuvraj Singh (Delhi Franchise): INR 16 Crore

Yuvraj Singh (Source: Twitter)

The left-hand batter was roped in for a record-breaking INR 16 Crore for the 2015 season of the Indian T20 League, just after the Bangalore franchise bought him for INR 14 Crore in the early season. He was not got in that season as he was able to score only 248 runs at an average of 19.07 and at a strike rate of below 120. Except for the Bangalore and Delhi franchises, he has also played for the Hyderabad franchise for one season in 2016, where the side was the champions of that season.

1. Chris Morris (Rajasthan Franchise): INR 16.25 Crore

Chris Morris (Source: Twitter)

The most expensive purchase of the Indian T20 League was Chris Morris. He was purchased by the Rajasthan franchise for INR 16.25 Crore in the 2021 Indian T20 League season. The South African all-rounder snapped 15 wickets with the ball in the 11 matches he played but was poor with the bat as he scored only 67 runs at an average of 13.40.