IPL 2020: Most expensive buys at auction in all seasons since 2008

Since its inception in 2008, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a stage for the young Indian players to showcase their talent while rubbing shoulders with the greats of Indian cricket and overseas players, too.

The pre-season auction has been an opportunity for the franchises to reinforce their squads within the purse amount (Rs 85 crore from the 2020 season) allocated to each one of them.

Following is the list of players who have attracted the big bucks in the IPL auctions so far:

Having led the Indian team to the World T20 title in the tournament's inaugural edition in 2007, it was no surprise that the then Indian ODI and T20I skipper MS Dhoni would be triggering a bidding war.

Season: 2008

Player: Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Team: Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Price tag: $1.5 million

Having led the Indian team to the World T20 title in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2007, it was no surprise that the then Indian skipper got the highest-winning bid at the IPL 2008 auction. CSK lapped him up and he repaid the faith by leading the side to three titles.

Despite having been drawn in for big money, Andrew Flintoff had a forgettable season. Kevin Pietersen had a humble showing with RCB, as well.

Season: 2009

Player: Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff

Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Price tag: $1.55 million

Despite having been paid big money, England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff had a forgettable season. Not in the greatest of form, he played only three matches before withdrawing from the league because of a knee injury.

Kevin Pietersen had a difficult season with the bat for Royal Challengers Bangalore, scoring only 93 runs in six matches.

While Kieron Pollard (left) became an MI regular post 2010, Shane Bond never played in the IPL again after the third season.

Season: 2010

Player: Shane Bond, Kieron Pollard

Team: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Mumbai Indians (MI)

Price tag: $0.75 million

2010 saw a mini-auction of sorts with only 11 players ending up in the team shopping cart.

Shane Bond's name in the auction list created ripples and KKR did not think twice before picking up the New Zealand pacer. An average season followed where the Kiwi pocketed nine scalps in eight matches.

Kieron Pollard became an MI regular after 2010, playing a key role in the franchise winning four titles.

Gautam Gambhir is KKR's leading run-scorer with 3035 runs from 108 matches.

Season: 2011

Player: Gautam Gambhir

Team: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

Price tag: $2.4 million

KKR went for the big move after Gautam Gambhir's match-winning 97 off 122 balls in the 2011 World Cup final against Sri Lanka. That had to be the Shahrukh Khan-owned franchise's highest bid ever, considering Gambhir led the side to its twin titles in 2012 and 2014. Gambhir was also one of the key batsmen for the franchise with over 3000 runs.

A spending cap of $2,000,000 was announced in 2012 and CSK invested it entirely on Ravindra Jadeja.

Season: 2012

Player: Ravindra Jadeja

Team: Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Price tag: $2 million

With Kochi Tuskers Kerala going defunct, a lot of players made it to the pool ahead of the auction. A spending cap of $2,000,000 was announced and CSK invested the whole of it on the spin-bowling all-rounder. He has been an integral part of the champion franchise ever since.

Managing only 36 runs in three matches, Glenn Maxwell was released by Mumbai Indians.

Season: 2013

Player: Glenn Maxwell

Team: Mumbai Indians (MI)

Price tag: $1 million

Not a star face then, Aussie big-hitter Glenn Maxwell was picked by the Mumbai Indians. However, he was released after the franchise won its maiden IPL title, having aggregated only 36 runs in three matches.

Yuvraj Singh had an average 2014 season.

Season: 2014

Player: Yuvraj Singh

Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Price tag: ₹14 crore

This was the first time that the players were valued in Indian rupees. Yuvraj shattered the record for the then most expensive IPL player when RCB shelled out ₹14 crore at the IPL 2014 auction. However, the champion batsman had an average season.

With just 248 runs from 14 matches at an average of 19.07, Yuvraj was a shadow of his former self in 2015.

Season: 2015

Player: Yuvraj Singh

Team: Delhi Daredevils (DD)

Price tag: ₹16 crore

Yuvraj Singh's price tag went up a notch again at the IPL 2015 auction, when Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) paid Rs 16 crore. The southpaw didn't have his best season, though, scoring only 248 runs in 14 matches.

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Shane Watson had a poor show with the bat, but he shone with the ball, bagging 20 wickets and notching his best IPL career figures of 4/29.

Season: 2016

Player: Shane Watson

Team: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Price tag: ₹9.5 crore

After Rajasthan Royals was suspended for two seasons, Shane Watson got drafted into the Bengaluru-based franchise. However, he managed only 179 runs in 16 matches with the bat that season, though he had better bowling returns with 20 wickets while he also registered his best career figures in the IPL with 4/29.

Ben Stokes was awarded the 'Most Valuable Player' award in IPL 2017.

Season: 2017

Player: Ben Stokes

Team: Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS)

Price tag: ₹14.5 crore

Ben Stokes justified his much-hyped inclusion to the Rising Pune Supergiant after CSK and RR had been suspended over match-fixing allegations. The Englishman repaid the faith put in him by the think tank by becoming the 'Most Valuable Player' (MVP) of IPL 10. He scored 316 runs and took 12 wickets from as many matches.

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Ben Stokes had a lukewarm showing in 2018, with 196 runs from 13 matches and eight wickets.

Season: 2018

Player: Ben Stokes

Team: Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Price tag: ₹12.5 crore

Ben Stokes made it two on two in season 11, changing his colours to blue and gold, after the Pune franchise was disbanded and CSK and RR returned to the scheme of things. Stokes was understandably headed towards big bucks, having earned the MVP title, the previous season. However, he had a lukewarm showing, with 196 runs from 13 matches and eight wickets.

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Jaydev Unadkat once again shocked fans with a bank-breaking bid. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, too, sprung a surprise, having had an excellent season in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL).

Season: 2019

Player: Varun Chakravarthy, Jaydev Unadkat

Team: Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Price tag: ₹8.4 crore

Jaydev Unadkat once again shocked fans with the huge money Rajasthan paid for his services. Mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, too, sprung a surprise, having had an excellent season in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). While Varun missed a majority of the season with injury, Unadkat struggled for wickets.