IPL 2026 Auction - Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc two of the most expensive IPL auction buys

Cricket

IPL 2026: Most Expensive Auction Picks in Each Team’s History

December 14, 2025

The IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi is just a few days away. Cricket fans are waiting to see where the biggest names land when the hammer falls on December 16. A total of 350 players are in the auction pool but only 77 slots are available across the 10 franchises.

Teams enter the auction with a combined purse of ₹237.50 crore. Kolkata Knight Riders lead the way with ₹64.3 crore, followed by Chennai Super Kings at ₹43.4 crore. Several teams released high-value players to free up funds which means fans can expect aggressive bidding.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have ₹25.5 crore, Lucknow Super Giants ₹22.9 crore, Delhi Capitals ₹21.8 crore, Royal Challengers Bengaluru ₹16.4 crore, Rajasthan Royals ₹16.05 crore, Gujarat Titans ₹12.9 crore and Punjab Kings ₹11.5 crore. Mumbai Indians have the smallest purse at ₹2.75 crore.

Before the IPL 2026 auction begins, here is a look at the most expensive auction buys in each franchise’s history and how those calls eventually played out.

Chennai Super Kings

₹16.25 Cr – Ben Stokes (2023)
₹14.00 Cr – Deepak Chahar (2022)
₹14.00 Cr – Daryl Mitchell (2024)
₹10.00 Cr – Noor Ahmad (2025)
₹9.75 Cr – Ravichandran Ashwin (2025)

Chennai Super Kings’ costliest auction buy remains Ben Stokes, picked for ₹16.25 crore at the 2023 auction. However, injuries restricted him to just 2 matches and he has not featured in the IPL since. Deepak Chahar, signed for ₹14 crore in 2022, moved to arch-rivals Mumbai Indians in 2025 after struggling with fitness issues across seasons.

CSK’s most recent big spends came at the 2025 auction, where they invested heavily in spin by signing Noor Ahmad for ₹10 crore and Ravichandran Ashwin for ₹9.75 crore.

Ravichandran Ashwin during a practice session with CSK

Ashwin has since retired, which has freed up a significant portion of CSK’s purse. Daryl Mitchell featured for CSK only in the 2024 season and went unsold at the following auction.

Mumbai Indians

₹17.50 Cr – Cameron Green (2023)
₹15.25 Cr – Ishan Kishan (2022)
₹12.50 Cr – Trent Boult (2025)
₹9.25 Cr – Deepak Chahar (2025)
₹9.20 Cr – Rohit Sharma (2011)

Mumbai Indians’ most expensive auction buy is Cameron Green, signed for ₹17.50 crore in 2023. He played one season for MI before being traded to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Green is now back in the auction pool for IPL 2026 and is one of the most-wanted players by most teams.

Ishan Kishan, bought for ₹15.25 crore in 2022, was released ahead of the 2025 mega auction and later picked by Sunrisers Hyderabad. MI’s recent high-value additions came in 2025, when they signed Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar, both of whom were retained for the 2026 season. Interestingly, Rohit Sharma’s ₹9.20 crore purchase back in 2011, is still among MI’s top five auction buys.

Kolkata Knight Riders

₹24.75 Cr – Mitchell Starc (2024)
₹23.75 Cr – Venkatesh Iyer (2025)
₹15.50 Cr – Pat Cummins (2020)
₹14.90 Cr – Gautam Gambhir (2011)
₹12.25 Cr – Shreyas Iyer (2022)

Kolkata Knight Riders held the record for the most expensive IPL auction buy, after signing Mitchell Starc for ₹24.75 crore in 2024. Starc played a key role in their title-winning campaign that season, taking 17 wickets. Despite that success, he was released ahead of the 2025 mega auction and later picked by Delhi Capitals. Venkatesh Iyer became KKR’s second-most expensive buy at ₹23.75 crore in the 2025 auction. He was released ahead of IPL 2026 to boost the team’s purse.

Venkatesh Iyer not retained by KKR for IPL 2026 — Venkatesh Iyer batting in IPL 2025 during KKR’s match vs SRH

Pat Cummins and Shreyas Iyer both captained KKR in different phases before moving on to SRH & PBKS, respectively. Cummins led KKR to the final in 2021 & Iyer led them to the IPL title in 2024. Gautam Gambhir is the only long-term association among KKR’s top five auction buys, both as a player and coach.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

₹15.00 Cr – Kyle Jamieson (2021)
₹14.25 Cr – Glenn Maxwell (2021)
₹14.00 Cr – Yuvraj Singh (2014)
₹12.50 Cr – Josh Hazlewood (2025)
₹12.00 Cr – Tymal Mills (2017)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s costliest auction buy is Kyle Jamieson, signed for ₹15 crore in 2021. He played only one season for the franchise and did not feature regularly in subsequent IPL editions. Tymal Mills, bought for ₹12 crore in 2017, also had a short stint, playing just 5 matches.

Glenn Maxwell joined RCB in 2021 for ₹14.25 crore and stayed with the franchise until 2024. Josh Hazlewood proved to be one of RCB’s most successful high-value signings after joining for ₹12.50 crore in 2025. He led their bowling attack during the season in which RCB won their maiden IPL title. During the peak of his career, Yuvraj Singh played for a number of teams, one of them was RCB.

Delhi Capitals

₹16.00 Cr – Yuvraj Singh (2015)
₹14.00 Cr – KL Rahul (2025)
₹12.50 Cr – Dinesh Karthik (2014)
₹11.76 Cr – Mahela Jayawardene (2012)
₹11.75 Cr – Mitchell Starc (2025)

Delhi Capitals’ most expensive auction buy remains Yuvraj Singh, signed for ₹16 crore in 2015. Their next major investments came at the 2025 auction, where they signed KL Rahul for ₹14 crore and Mitchell Starc for ₹11.75 crore. Both players were retained for the 2026 season after solid performances.

The other high-value purchases date back to the Delhi Daredevils era. Dinesh Karthik was bought for ₹12.50 crore in 2014, while Mahela Jayawardene joined the franchise for ₹11.76 crore in 2012. Jayawardene is now MI’s Head Coach and Director of Cricket, while Karthik is the RCB’s mentor.

Punjab Kings

₹26.75 Cr – Shreyas Iyer (2025)
₹18.50 Cr – Sam Curran (2023)
₹18.00 Cr – Yuzvendra Chahal (2025)
₹18.00 Cr – Arshdeep Singh (2025)
₹14.00 Cr – Jhye Richardson (2021)

Punjab Kings made history at the 2025 auction by signing Shreyas Iyer for ₹26.75 crore, the highest price ever paid by the franchise. He went on to lead the side to their first IPL final since 2013 and remains central to Punjab’s long-term plans.

Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh were also signed for ₹18 crore each at the same auction and played key roles in the bowling unit.

Arshdeep Singh celebrating after taking a wicket in the IPL for Punjab Kings

Arshdeep Singh has been associated with Punjab since his early IPL days. It is the only team the has played for. Sam Curran’s ₹18.50 crore signing in 2023 was another major investment, while Jhye Richardson, bought for ₹14 crore in 2021, featured in only 3 matches.

Rajasthan Royals

₹16.25 Cr – Chris Morris (2021)
₹12.50 Cr – Ben Stokes (2018)
₹12.50 Cr – Jofra Archer (2025)
₹11.50 Cr – Jaydev Unadkat (2018)
₹10.00 Cr – Prasidh Krishna (2022)

Rajasthan Royals stunned cricket fans in 2021 when they signed Chris Morris for ₹16.25 crore, making him the most expensive IPL player at the time. That season turned out to be his final one in the competition. Ben Stokes was part of RR’s setup between 2018 and 2021 before moving to CSK in 2023, while Jofra Archer returned to the franchise at the 2025 mega auction for ₹12.50 crore.

Ben Stokes training with CSK during IPL 2023 season

Jaydev Unadkat’s ₹11.50 crore signing in 2018 and Prasidh Krishna’s ₹10 crore buy in 2022 were both surprise moves. Injuries later ruled Krishna out of consecutive seasons before he moved to Gujarat Titans. RR seem to have a thing for quick bowlers. All their top 5 buys are fast bowlers, except Stokes, who’s an allrounder.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

₹20.50 Cr – Pat Cummins (2024)
₹13.25 Cr – Harry Brook (2023)
₹11.25 Cr – Ishan Kishan (2025)
₹11.00 Cr – Manish Pandey (2018)
₹10.75 Cr – Nicholas Pooran (2022)

Sunrisers Hyderabad made Pat Cummins their most expensive signing in 2024, paying ₹20.50 crore as they looked for a new captain. Cummins continues to lead the side. Harry Brook was bought for ₹13.25 crore in 2023 but played only one IPL season. He moved to DC later but withdrew before the season kicked off.

In 2025, SRH signed Ishan Kishan for ₹11.25 crore to address their wicketkeeper-batter slot and retained him for IPL 2026. Manish Pandey, signed for ₹11 crore in 2018, played multiple seasons for SRH before moving on to LSG, DC & KKR. Nicholas Pooran featured for the franchise only in the 2022 season and since then has been at LSG.

Lucknow Super Giants

₹27.00 Cr – Rishabh Pant (2025)
₹16.00 Cr – Nicholas Pooran (2023)
₹10.00 Cr – Avesh Khan (2022)
₹9.75 Cr – Avesh Khan (2025)
₹8.75 Cr – Jason Holder (2022)

Lucknow Super Giants hold the record for the most expensive IPL auction buy after signing Rishabh Pant for ₹27 crore in 2025. Despite an underwhelming season, Pant was retained for IPL 2026.

Nicholas Pooran, bought for ₹16 crore in 2023, remains one of their key batters. Avesh Khan has been LSG’s most expensive bowler, signed for ₹10 crore in 2022 and again for ₹9.75 crore in 2025. Jason Holder, picked for ₹8.75 crore in 2022, later moved to RR. He went unsold in 2024 & 2025 and is now back in the auction pool for IPL 2026.

Gujarat Titans

₹15.75 Cr – Jos Buttler (2025)
₹12.25 Cr – Mohammed Siraj (2025)
₹10.75 Cr – Kagiso Rabada (2025)
₹10.00 Cr – Spencer Johnson (2024)
₹10.00 Cr – Lockie Ferguson (2022)

Gujarat Titans were very aggressive at the 2025 mega auction, where they signed Jos Buttler for ₹15.75 crore, Mohammed Siraj for ₹12.25 crore and Kagiso Rabada for ₹10.75 crore. All 3 players were retained for IPL 2026.

Spencer Johnson was bought for ₹10 crore in 2024 and later moved to KKR before being released again for 2026. Lockie Ferguson, signed for ₹10 crore in 2022 after leaving KKR, has since changed teams multiple times. He went to KKR & RCB and now plays for Punjab Kings.