1. Sam Curran – Rs. 18.5 cr
Sam Curran became the most expensive IPL player during the 2023 IPL auction. He was signed by Punjab Kings for Rs. 18.5 cr. After being named the 2022 T20 World Cup Player of the Tournament, Curran generated interest in the auction. In England’s decisive victory over Australia, he was was voted Player of the Match.
The left-arm pacer played for Chennai Super Kings in the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He made his IPL debut with Punjab Kings, who bought him for Rs. 7.2 crore in 2019.
2. Cameron Green – Rs. 17.5 cr
The second most expensive player in the league, Cameron Green was purchased by Mumbai for Rs 17.50 crore at the IPL 2023 auction held on Friday in Kochi.
In April 2022, Green made his T20I debut for Australia. In eight games, Green has two 50+ scores and a strike of 173.75 points.
3. KL Rahul and Virat Kohli – Rs. 17 cr
Though, former RCB captain Virat Kohli was not bought in auction, he was paid Rs. 17 cr from the year 2018 to 2021. And from, 2022, he was retained by the team for Rs. 15 cr. In 2022 itself, KL Rahul too fetched the contract from Lucknow Super Giants of Rs. 17 cr. He was at that time, the highest paid cricketer in IPL.
4. Nicholas Pooran – Rs. 16 cr
Nicholas Pooran became the most expensive wicketkeeper batter in IPL auction history when the Lucknow Super Giants paid Rs 16 crore for him on Friday during the IPL 2023 auction in Kochi.
Chennai Super Kings opened the bidding process with a base price of Rs. 2 crore. As the price crossed Rs. 3 crore, Rajasthan Royals challenged the four-time champion. In a match that cost over Rs. 6 crore, the Delhi Capitals and Royals were still deadlocked.
5. Ben Stokes – Rs. 16.25 cr
Ben Stokes was purchased by Chennai Super Kings in the 2023 IPL Auction for Rs 16.25 crore. He shared third-highest IPL signing honours with Chris Morris from South Africa. Several teams expressed interest in Stokes after he assisted England in winning the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
At the MCG, Stokes led the Three Lions to victory over Pakistan with an unbeaten 52-run innings. The right-arm medium pacer has a 6.79 economy rate and six wickets in the competition.