The most expensive player in IPL auction history is Rishabh Pant, bought by Lucknow Super Giants for ?27 crore (about $3.2 million) in Jeddah in November 2024. The most expensive overseas player is Cameron Green, who went to Kolkata Knight Riders for ?25.20 crore (about $2.8 million) in December 2025. This list ranks the twelve highest auction bids by rupee price, with a dollar figure using the exchange rate of the month each auction was held.
One quirk first. The rupee has slid so far since 2022 that a bid in dollars tells a different story: Mitchell Starc’s ?24.75 crore in 2023 was worth more dollars than Green’s bigger rupee bid two years later. We rank by the number the auctioneer actually called, then show the dollars next to it.
| Rank | Player | Price (? crore) | Price (USD) | Auction | Bought by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Ben Stokes / Chris Morris | 16.25 | about $2.0M | Dec 2022 / Feb 2021 | Chennai Super Kings / Rajasthan Royals |
| 11 | Cameron Green (first time) | 17.50 | about $2.1M | Dec 2022 | Mumbai Indians |
| 8 (tie) | Matheesha Pathirana | 18.00 | about $2.0M | Dec 2025 | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 8 (tie) | Yuzvendra Chahal | 18.00 | about $2.1M | Nov 2024 | Punjab Kings |
| 8 (tie) | Arshdeep Singh | 18.00 | about $2.1M | Nov 2024 | Punjab Kings |
| 7 | Sam Curran | 18.50 | about $2.2M | Dec 2022 | Punjab Kings |
| 6 | Pat Cummins | 20.50 | about $2.5M | Dec 2023 | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| 5 | Venkatesh Iyer | 23.75 | about $2.8M | Nov 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 4 | Mitchell Starc | 24.75 | about $3.0M | Dec 2023 | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 3 | Cameron Green | 25.20 | about $2.8M | Dec 2025 | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 2 | Shreyas Iyer | 26.75 | about $3.2M | Nov 2024 | Punjab Kings |
| 1 | Rishabh Pant | 27.00 | about $3.2M | Nov 2024 | Lucknow Super Giants |
12. Ben Stokes and Chris Morris: ?16.25 crore each (about $2.0 million)
Two eras tie at the bottom. Morris was the record buy of the 2021 auction, taken by Rajasthan Royals. Stokes went to Chennai in the 2022 Kochi sale. Both are on the page because they held the "most expensive overseas player" label before Starc, and it still shows how fast the numbers moved: ?16.25 crore was the headline in 2021 and sits twelfth today.
We use the official auction records for both and round the dollars off.
11. Cameron Green, first time: ?17.50 crore (about $2.1 million)
Green appears twice, three years apart. At Kochi in December 2022 he was the second most expensive buy, bought by Mumbai Indians after one good season of international form. He later moved to Bangalore in a trade and arrived in Kolkata for the record in 2025.
The dollars use the December 2022 rate of about 82.7.
8. Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal and Matheesha Pathirana: ?18 crore each
Three players share eighth place. Arshdeep and Chahal both went to Punjab Kings in November 2024 (about $2.1M each at 84.4), and Punjab used its right-to-match card to keep Arshdeep once the bidding had set the number. Pathirana, the Sri Lankan death bowler, cost Kolkata ?18 crore in December 2025 after a duel with Lucknow, about $2.0M at a rate near 90.
All three numbers come from the official results of those two auctions.
7. Sam Curran: ?18.50 crore (about $2.2 million)
Curran was the first player to cross ?18 crore, at the Kochi auction in December 2022, just after being named player of the tournament at the T20 World Cup. Punjab Kings paid it. The price was the record for a year before Starc and Cummins arrived.
Our dollar figure uses a rate of about 82.7.
6. Pat Cummins: ?20.50 crore (about $2.5 million)
Cummins sold for ?20.50 crore, then watched Starc top it shortly after. Sunrisers Hyderabad were buying a captain as much as a bowler: Cummins had just led Australia to a World Cup, and the franchise handed him its team. The December 2023 auction in Dubai made the Australian pair the two priciest buys in the league’s history at that point.
The dollar figure uses the official result and a rate of about 83.2.
5. Venkatesh Iyer: ?23.75 crore (about $2.8 million)
Kolkata let him go and then bought him back, which is the most expensive way to change your mind. The all-rounder had cost Kolkata ?8 crore at the 2022 auction, so the repurchase nearly tripled his price.
We built the figure from the November 2024 auction result at about 84.4 rupees to the dollar.
4. Mitchell Starc: ?24.75 crore (about $3.0 million)
Starc had not played in the league since 2015, then arrived at the Dubai auction in December 2023 and set a record that stood for less than an hour. Kolkata bought the left-arm fast bowler at ?24.75 crore, the first time a bid had passed ?20 crore. Dollar for dollar, he is still the most expensive player on this page outside the top two, because the rupee was stronger that month, at about 83.2.
The price rests on the official result and the December 2023 exchange rate.
3. Cameron Green: ?25.20 crore (about $2.8 million)
Green is the overseas record, and also the player who proves the record does not match the pay. Under the cap on foreign players at mini auctions, he collects ?18 crore (roughly $2.0M) and the remaining ?7.20 crore goes to a fund for player welfare. Kolkata paid the big number in the room and got the smaller bill.
The auction took place in Abu Dhabi in December 2025. Our dollar figure uses a rate near 90, and we show the take-home amount in the text so nobody reads ?25.20 crore as a salary.
2. Shreyas Iyer: ?26.75 crore (about $3.2 million)
Iyer lasted about as long as a good sprint as the record holder. Punjab Kings bid ?26.75 crore for the captain who had just led Kolkata to a title, and minutes later Pant’s bid eclipsed it. A quarter-crore separates the two men on the board, and in dollars they are the same.
The price comes from the official auction result and the November 2024 exchange rate.
1. Rishabh Pant: ?27 crore (about $3.2 million)
Pant is the only player to break the ?26 crore line, and he did it in a room in Jeddah where the bidding ran on long after most of the field had gone quiet. Lucknow Super Giants took the wicketkeeper-batter from his former side, Delhi, and the bid set the all-time ceiling that every auction since has been measured against.
The number carries a second life as a rule. When the board capped what overseas players can earn at a mini auction, it pointed to the highest mega-auction price, which is this one. Our figure uses the November 2024 rate of roughly 84.4, and the rupee price is what the franchise was bound to pay.
Records set in 2025 and 2026
The November 2024 auction in Jeddah, which set up the 2025 season, broke the ceiling twice: Pant at ?27 crore and Iyer at ?26.75 crore, with Venkatesh Iyer at ?23.75 crore close behind. The December 2025 mini auction in Abu Dhabi added Green at ?25.20 crore, the overseas record, and Pathirana at ?18 crore. The biggest Indian buys at that mini auction were Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, both bought by Chennai Super Kings for ?14.20 crore, the highest ever paid for uncapped players.
What drives these prices
- Captaincy and leadership. Pant, both Iyers, Cummins and Curran all arrived with a record or a trophy attached. Franchises pay for a story they can put on the front of the shirt.
- Purse pressure. Each team has a fixed purse, so the last two franchises in a bidding duel will pass the true value of a player simply because neither can afford to lose.
- Right-to-match. The option that lets a former team keep a player raises the final price, because the second bidder knows it might get nothing and bids high anyway.
- Rule changes. The cap on overseas payouts means the number called out now overstates what the player collects. Expect the headline price to keep rising while the pay stays flat.
- Exchange rates. A rate near 90 means a record in rupees can be a drop in dollars.
FAQ
Who is the most expensive player in IPL history?
Rishabh Pant, at ?27 crore (about $3.2 million), bought by Lucknow Super Giants in November 2024.
Who is the most expensive overseas player in the IPL?
Cameron Green, at ?25.20 crore (about $2.8 million), bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in December 2025. He collects ?18 crore because of the cap on foreign players at mini auctions.
Who was the most expensive player at the 2026 auction?
Green again. The next highest was Matheesha Pathirana at ?18 crore.
What is the most expensive uncapped player?
Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, both at ?14.20 crore, bought by Chennai Super Kings in December 2025.
Do players receive the full auction price?
Not always. At a mini auction, an overseas player is capped at the lower of the highest retention price or the highest mega-auction price, which is ?18 crore. The rest goes to a player welfare fund.
Why does the dollar figure differ from the rupee ranking?
The rupee weakened from about 82.7 to the dollar in 2022 to about 90 in 2025. Starc’s ?24.75 crore in 2023 is worth more dollars than Green’s ?25.20 crore in 2025.
How we put this list together
We ranked the highest auction bids by rupee price, using official auction results and published exchange rates for the month of each sale. Dollar figures are approximate and the rupee moves, so treat the dollars as a guide.
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Last updated: October 2026.
