The IPL 2022 Auction will take place in Bengaluru on February 12th and 13th. A total of 590 players from around the world would be up for grabs and the ten franchises would be looking to build a balanced squad for the next few seasons.
Many players are likely to be the subject of a heated bidding war during the mega-auctions, and it will be intriguing to watch who becomes the most expensive acquisition this time.
Before that, let’s take a look at the players who secured the highest bid in each of the past IPL auctions.
#1 2008 – MS Dhoni ( USD 1.5 million – CSK)
After leading India to glory in the 2007 T20 World Cup, MS Dhoni was the most demanded player at the auction. It was proved when all the 8 franchises participated in the bidding war for the wicketkeeper-batsman.
After getting some tough competition from Mumbai Indians, Chennai managed to acquire the services of Dhoni. Since then, he has led CSK to 4 IPL titles.
#2 2009 – Andrew Flintoff ( USD 1.55 million – CSK), Kevin Pietersen (USD 1.55 million – RCB)
The aggressive brand of cricket played by Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen suited the T20 format. This prompted the franchises to throw a lot of money at the two Englishmen in the auctions.
Flintoff played just three games in the season, due to a knee injury. Pietersen also only appeared in only six games for RCB during that season.
#3 2010 – Shane Bond ( USD 750,000 – KKR), Kieron Pollard (USD 750,000 – MI)
The biggest buys in the third IPL auction were Kieron Pollard and Shane Bond, who were bought at the maximum allowed price of $750,000, through a tie-breaker rule. All interested franchises were asked to submit anonymous bids.
The player was given to the franchise that offered the highest amount.
#4 2011 – Gautam Gambhir ( USD 2.4 million – KKR)
Gambhir moved from Delhi Daredevils to Kolkata Knight Riders this season and was made the captain of the side. It turned out to be the best decision made by the franchise as he led KKR to two IPL trophies- 2012 and 2014.
The southpaw served the franchise for 7 years before joining Delhi Daredevils from where he bid farewell to cricket.
#5 2012 – Ravindra Jadeja ( USD 2 million – CSK)
When the Deccan Chargers and Chennai Super Kings were both limited at the $2 million cap for Ravindra Jadeja in 2012, the tie-breaker rule was used once again. CSK’s secret amount outbid DC’s, and Jadeja became a part of the ‘Yellow Army’.
Since then, he has been an integral part of CSK’s core unit. He has also been retained by the franchise ahead of IPL 2022 auctions at a price (16 Cr) higher than skipper MS Dhoni (12 Cr).
#6 2013 – Glenn Maxwell ( USD 1 million – MI)
The sole million-dollar purchase in IPL 2013 auctions was that of Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell, unfortunately, could not perform that well for the Mumbai Indians. After managing only 36 runs in three games, the Australian was released by the franchise ahead of the next season.
#7 2014 – Yuvraj Singh ( INR 14 crores – RCB)
Fans were surprised to see Yuvraj surpass everyone in the auction, after his lacklustre performance in the 2013 season, where he averaged only 19.83 with the bat. However, the southpaw proved his worth and scored 376 runs at an average of 34.18 in IPL 2014.
He was the second-highest run-getter for RCB in that season.
#8 2015 – Yuvraj Singh ( INR 16 crores – Delhi)
Yuvraj Singh received the highest bid for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, he didn’t have a great season as he only managed 248 runs in 14 games, with an average of 19.
The veteran’s weak performance meant that he was not retained by the franchise for the next season.
#9 2016 – Shane Watson ( INR 9.5 crores – RCB)
Shane Watson offered the ideal balance for any side, and he could be counted on to begin both the batting and bowling innings. Hence it was not a surprise when the all-rounder was offered a huge amount by Bangalore.
Watson wasn’t great with the bat in the season, but he proved to be very effective with the ball taking 20 wickets in 16 games.
#10 2017 – Ben Stokes ( INR 14.5 crores – RPS)
This was the first time Ben Stokes entered the auctions, but owing to his all-around ability, he attracted a huge bid from RPS. Stokes totally justified his high price tag and played a key role in helping Pune reach the finals.
The England all-rounder was named the Most Valuable Player of IPL 2017.
#11 2018 – Ben Stokes ( INR 12.5 crores – RR)
Rajasthan Royals, who were making a return to the IPL, secured the services of Ben Stokes in 2018. He, however, did not have a particularly successful season. In 13 games, Stokes scored 196 runs and got 8 wickets.
#12 2019 – Jaydev Unadkat ( INR 8.4 crores – RR), Varun Chakravarthy ( INR 8.4 crores – KXIP)
Unadkat had a base price of INR 1.5 crore at the start of the auction, while mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy had a base price of just INR 20 lakhs. To then get the highest bids, was a big achievement for both the Indian players.
In the IPL 2019, Unadkat took 10 wickets in 11 games. Due to a finger injury, Varun Chakravarthy only appeared in one game for Punjab.
#13 2020 – Pat Cummins ( INR 15.5 crores – KKR)
Delhi and Bangalore were battling it out for the Aussie pacer, until Kolkata swooped in late to acquire him. The price of 15.50 crores for Cummins was a topic of debate, as many fans believed that he is prone to injuries and not a limited-overs specialist.
During IPL 2020, Cummins took 12 wickets in 14 matches also scored 146 runs with the bat, including one half-century.
#14 2021 – Chris Morris ( INR 16.25 crores – RR)
Chris Morris made history as he became the most expensive player ever in an IPL auction. However, Morris’ performances weren’t great as he scored only 67 runs in 11 matches and bowled at an economy rate of 9.17. The Proteas all-rounder announced his retirement from all forms of cricket earlier this year.
After an intense bidding war, @Tipo_Morris heads to @rajasthanroyals for INR 16.25 Cr. 😎🔥@Vivo_India #IPLAuction
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) February 18, 2021