Truly deserving or bad investments? Here's how some of the IPL's costliest buys have performed

Aggressive bidding among teams has become a common sight since 2008, resulting in the cost of some key cricketers surpassing their base price by leaps and bounds.
The Indian Premier League 2021 trophy. (Photo | Twitter/@IPL)
The Indian Premier League 2021 trophy. (Photo | Twitter/@IPL)

The IPL 2021 auction in Chennai on Thursday, despite being a limited one with just 290-odd cricketers going under the hammer, didn't fail to generate headlines.

While Proteas all-rounder Chris Morris broke Yuvraj Singh's record of the highest bid at an IPL auction as he was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 16.25 crore, he also became the tournament's second-highest earner after Virat Kohli, who was retained by RCB for Rs 17 crore in 2018.

The new Rajastan Royals player Chris Morris (Photo | IPLT20/BCCI)
The new Rajastan Royals player Chris Morris (Photo | IPLT20/BCCI)

His Aussie counterpart Glenn Maxwell got his wish of playing alongside AB De Villiers fulfilled as RCB picked up the former for Rs 14.25 crore. CSK secured the services of uncapped Krishnappa Gowtham for Rs 9.25 crore, going past the Rs 8.8 crore Mumbai Indians paid for Krunal Pandya in 2018.

Australia's Glenn Maxwell (Photo | AFP)
Australia's Glenn Maxwell (Photo | AFP)

Among uncapped oveseas players, 24-year-old Aussie pacer Riley Meredith was bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 8 crore, making him more expensive than Jofra Archer, whom Rajasthan Royals got for Rs 7.2 crore in 2018. Archer hadn't played for England then.

RCB also bought Kiwi all-rounder Kyle Jamieson for Rs 15 crore, making the cricketer the most expensive from his country. Jamieson surpassed Trent Boult, who was snapped up for Rs 5 crore by KKR in the 2017 auction. 

New Zealand's paceman Kyle Jamieson (L) celebrates the wicket of Pakistan's Fawad Alam (C) on day one of the second cricket Test match. (Photo | AFP)
New Zealand's paceman Kyle Jamieson (L) celebrates the wicket of Pakistan's Fawad Alam (C) on day one of the second cricket Test match. (Photo | AFP)

Aussie pacer Jhye Richardson too got lucky, as Punjab secured his services for Rs 14 crore.

What makes the IPL auctions almost as interesting as the main tournament is the war of brains among the franchises to fulfill their wishlists. While aggressive bidding among teams has become a common sight since 2008, resulting in the cost of some key cricketers surpassing their base price by leaps and bounds, not all of the expensive buys have brought the desired results.

Let's discuss some of the costliest buys since 2008, which proved to be game-changers for teams. 

MS Dhoni:

Bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 9.5 crore in the inaugural edition in 2008, the veteran wicketkeeper-batsman led the team to three title wins (2010, 2011 and 2018) and two Champions League T20 victories (2010 and 2014).

MS Dhoni captain of Chennai Super Kings. (Photo | IPL)
MS Dhoni captain of Chennai Super Kings. (Photo | IPL)

The franchise also went on to qualify for the finals the most number of times (8). The heroics of 'Captain Cool', both with the bat and behind the stumps, also earned him the nickname 'Thala' ('leader' in Tamil). As CSK was serving its two-year ban in 2016 and 2017, Dhoni featured for Rising Pune Supergiants at an amount of Rs 12.5 crore and took the franchise to the final in the 2017 edition.

Gautam Gambhir:

After a below-par run from 2008-10, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders decided to overhaul the squad in the 2011 auction. Gambhir, who was the only player from Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) to score more than 1000 runs after the franchise's first three IPL campaigns, entered the KKR set-up with a mammoth price tag of Rs 11.4 crore. He not only remained in the list of the tournament's top ten most expensive cricketers till 2018, but also became the first player to breach the Rs 100-million bid mark.

Gautam Gambhir. (File | PTI)
Gautam Gambhir. (File | PTI)

Apart from finishing his IPL career as the fourth highest run-scorer (3634 runs 132 matches), Gauti's leadership took the team to two IPL wins (2012, 2014) and three play-off qualifications (2011, 2016 and 2017). KKR also played the Champions League thrice (2011, 2012 and 2014) under Gambhir's captaincy and qualified once for the finals.

Ravindra Jadeja:

After featuring for Rajasthan Royals in the 2008 and 2009 editions, followed by a ban for the 2010 season due to contract non-renewal with the franchise and alleged breach of player guidelines, Jadeja was bought by CSK in the 2012 auctions for Rs 9.72 crores.

Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo | PTI)
Ravindra Jadeja. (Photo | PTI)

The move became a game-changing one for both the allrounder and the franchise. While Jadeja scored 283 runs and took eight wickets in CSK's title defence, he went on to become one of the most successful allrounders in the tournament's history (1574 runs and 77 scalps in 126 matches).

Virat Kohli:

From entering the Royal Challengers Bengaluru dressing room in 2008 at a price tag below Rs 22 lakh, King Kohli was retained by the franchise for a hefty amount of Rs 17 crore for IPL 2018, the highest for any player.

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal of Royal Challengers Bangalore during IPL 2020 match against Delhi Capitals at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. (Photo | PTI)
Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal of Royal Challengers Bangalore during IPL 2020 match against Delhi Capitals at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. (Photo | PTI)

It was an apt tribute to the batting powerhouse who, from 165 runs in 12 innings in the tournament's maiden edition, went on to amass 5878 runs in the next 184 outings, including a record 973 runs in 16 IPL matches in the 2016 edition.

Rohit Sharma:

The Indian batting maestro joined Mumbai Indians in 2011 for an amount close to Rs 1.46 crore after having an impressive three-year stint with the now-defunct Deccan Chargers.

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma celebrates after winning the final cricket match of the Indian Premier League IPL T20 against Delhi Capitals. (Photo | PTI)
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma celebrates after winning the final cricket match of the Indian Premier League IPL T20 against Delhi Capitals. (Photo | PTI)

Apart from having 4,898 runs, the third highest after Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina, the opener also led the franchise to IPL wins in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2020, along with a Champions League T20 win in 2013. He was retained for a whopping Rs 15 crore by the Mukesh Ambani-owned team in 2018.

Rishabh Pant:

The wicketkeeper-batsman, who was bought by Delhi Capitals for Rs 1.9 crore in 2016, was retained for Rs 15 crore in 2018 by the same franchise. It seems justified as Pant's aggressive batting not only proved to be game-changing for the Capitals, but also for Team India in the coming years. Playing only his third IPL game in 2016, the left-hander grabbed the headlines as he smashed 69 runs from 40 balls against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions.

Rishabh Pant. (Photo | PTI)
Rishabh Pant. (Photo | PTI)

In the 2018 edition, he scored an unbeaten knock of 128 from 63 deliveries against Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was the highest individual score by an Indian batsman in the tournament's history till KL Rahul broke that with 132 not out against RCB last year.

Kieron Pollard:

Picked up for Rs 4.8 crore by Mumbai Indians after his brilliant show for Trinidad and Tobago at the 2009 Champions League T20 in India, the Caribbean all-rounder has remained a key contributor to his franchise's success.

West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard (Photo | PTI)
West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard (Photo | PTI)

After grabbing the headlines during the 2010 auction as the joint-most expensive player, Pollard has amassed 2755 runs in 135 innings so far, while batting in the lower order. Apart from taking 56 wickets in 81 innings, the Trinidadian's explosive knocks at number five have become a familiar sight for MI fans.  

Robin Uthappa:

The Karnataka opener, after having successful stints with Mumbai Indians and RCB from 2008-2010, was bought by the now-defunct Pune Warriors India in the 2011 auction at a price tag of about Rs 9.4 crore.

Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa (File | AP)
Indian cricketer Robin Uthappa (File | AP)

Despite Pune performing poorly from 2011-13, Uthappa remained the franchise's most prolific batsman, scoring 1103 runs in 46 matches.

Yusuf Pathan:

The Baroda allrounder, after his India debut in the 2007 T20 World Cup final and 1011 runs in 43 games for Rajasthan Royals from 2008-2010, along with 20 scalps, got picked up by KKR in the 2011 auction at an amount close to Rs 13 crore. From 2011 to 2017, he scored 1,893 runs in 106 games for the Knight Riders, while maintaining a strike rate above 140 most of the time.

Yusuf Pathan. (File Photo)
Yusuf Pathan. (File Photo)

Pathan, who scored the IPL's fastest fifty and hundred in the 2008 and 2010 editions respectively, played a key hand in KKR's 2014 IPL win as his 22-ball 72 (second-fastest fifty in tournament's history) helped the franchise seal an unlikely top-two finish in the lead-up to the play-offs.

Pat Cummins:

The Aussie pace spearhead became the most expensive player in the auction for the 2020 edition, as KKR bought him for Rs 15.5 crore. He led the franchise's inexperienced bowling with some success by taking 12 wickets in 14 matches at an economy rate below eight.

Australia paceman Pat Cummins (File | AFP)
Australia paceman Pat Cummins (File | AFP)

The Knight Riders will be looking forward to using Cummins' ability to make the new ball talk as the Aussie, along with his Kiwi counterpart Lockie Ferguson, will be leading the team's pace attack.

Some other proven performers with high price tags:

  • AB de Villiers (Rs 11 crore).

  • KL Rahul (Rs 11 crore).

  • Suresh Raina (Rs 11 crore).

  • Hardik Pandya (Rs 11 crore).

  • Manish Pandey (Rs 11 crore).

  • Sunil Narine (Rs 12.5 crore).

  • David Warner (Rs 12.5 crore).

While the above examples may back the known saying of franchise-based sports -- 'If you want good results then spend big' -- there have also been plenty of instances of costly buys ending up becoming the IPL's biggest disappointments.

Dinesh Karthik:

The wicketkeeper-batsman from Tamil Nadu, who has 3823 runs in 196 IPL clashes, was Kings XI Punjab's (now Punjab Kings) second-most expensive player, as he was bought for a price tag of over Rs 6.5 crore in the 2011 auction. However, he could manage only 282 runs in 14 games. He went to Mumbai Indians for the next two seasons and returned to Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in 2014 at a hefty price tag of Rs 12.50 crore. However, it didn't bear positive results as he could manage only 325 runs in 14 matches.

Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik (Photo | PTI)
Former Kolkata Knight Riders skipper Dinesh Karthik (Photo | PTI)

He played for RCB and the now-defunct Gujarat Lions for the next three seasons before getting picked up for KKR in the 2018 auctions in exchange for Rs 7.40 crore. While as a skipper, he led the team to its sixth play-off in that year, his form went downhill from 2019 and in 2020, he conceded his captain's hat to England's World Cup winning skipper Eoin Morgan.

Jaidev Unadkat:

The Saurashtra pace spearhead became the most expensive Indian player in the 2018 auction as he was snapped up by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 11.5 crore. In 2019, the same franchise brought him back for Rs 8.40 crore and in 2020, the price tag came down to Rs 3 crore.

Jaidev Unadkat. (Photo | PTI)
Jaidev Unadkat. (Photo | PTI)

The reason was very clear. Unadkat, who had a brilliant season for Rising Pune Supergiants in 2017 season (24 wickets in 12 encounters, including a hat-trick), came under the burden of these higher price tags and could manage only 25 wickets in the next 33 games at an economy rate of over nine.

Glenn Maxwell:

The Aussie all-rounder, who made the headlines in the 2021 auction by switching to RCB for a mammoth Rs 14.25 crores, is not new to high price tags. In the 2013 auction, Mumbai Indians secured his services after spending Rs 5.32 crores. However, the Aussie fell victim to the franchise's 'problem of plenty'. Despite the team winning its first IPL trophy that year, he could get only three games and made only 36 runs.

Glenn Maxwell. (Photo | PTI)
Glenn Maxwell. (Photo | PTI)

Released in the 2014 auction, he bagged a jackpot deal of Rs 6 crores for Punjab. The allrounder ended up as the tournament's highest run-scorer as he scored 552 runs in 16 matches, tearing apart opposition bowling line-ups at a strike rate of over 187. However, he proved to be a one-trick pony as in the next two years, his tally was a mere 324 runs in 22 games. He even led the franchise in the 2016 edition, but they couldn't make it to the play-offs. In 2017, he managed to score 310 runs in 14 games.

He then went to Delhi Capitals for the 2018 season at a price tag of Rs 9 crore and managed only 169 runs. Punjab again secured his services for a whopping Rs 10.75 crore but the sorry tale continued as he made only 108 runs in 13 encounters. 

Yuvraj Singh:

The dashing southpaw didn't have good luck in terms of living up to higher price tags. In the 2014 auction, RCB bought him for Rs 14 crore. He had a sucessful season, with 376 runs and five wickets. Next year, he became the most expensive player as Delhi bought him for Rs 16 crore. Unlike RCB, the move went downhill for him, as the hero of India's 2007 World T20 win and 2011 World Cup wins could manage only 248 runs in 14 matches, while the franchise didn't even look a serious contender for the play-off race throughout its campaign.

Yuvraj Singh. (File | AP)
Yuvraj Singh. (File | AP)

In 2016, he shifted to Sunrisers Hyderabad for a much lower tag of Rs 7 crores and could manage only 236 runs in ten games. However, he was the third highest run-scorer for the franchise after David Warner (848 runs) and Shikhar Dhawan (501 runs) as they went on to lift their maiden IPL trophy. Next year too, Yuvi couldn't cross the 300-run barrier as his tally was only of 252 runs in 12 clashes. In 2018 and 2019, he played for Punjab and Mumbai and scored 162 runs in ten innings, before announcing his retirement.

Shane Watson: 

As Rajasthan Royals got suspended for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, the Aussie all-rounder had a not-so-memorable stint with the RCB. Watson was the most expensive player in the 2016 auction, as the Virat Kohli-led franchise snapped him up for Rs 9.5 crore expecting him to repeat the Royals' like heroics (matches: 78, runs: 2372, wickets: 61).

Former Australian batsman Shane Watson. (Photo | AP)
Former Australian batsman Shane Watson. (Photo | AP)

But the opposite happened. Watson could only manage 179 runs throughout the campaign. However, he was more successful with the ball as he ended at number three in the 'Purple Cap' race, with 20 scalps in 16 games. Next year, Watto's form plummeted further, with 71 runs in eight games. With the ball too, he got only five wickets, in addition to the captaincy burden in the first few games in Kohli's absence.

Ben Stokes:

The England all-rounder was bought for a whopping Rs 14.5 crore by Rising Pune Supergiants during the 2017 season. He scored 316 runs in 12 matches and took 12 wickets, winning the 'Man of the Match' award three times before leaving for international duties. His highest was the unbeaten knock of 103 in 63 balls against Gujarat Lions.

Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes. (Photo | IPLT20/BCCI)
Rajasthan Royals all-rounder Ben Stokes. (Photo | IPLT20/BCCI)

In the 2018 auction, he became the most expensive player with a price tag of Rs 12.5 crore. However, his tally was only 196 runs in 13 matches. Next year, it plunged further to 123 runs in nine matches. In the 2020 edition, the tally improved to 285 runs in eight matches. With the ball, he has got only 16 scalps for the Royals since 2018.

Varun Chakravarthy:

The newest spin sensation of Indian cricket, whose 17 wickets in 13 IPL games last year, ensured him a place in Team India for the Australia tour, too had an uncomfortable chapter with giant price tags. In 2019, he was picked up by Punjab for Rs 8.4 crore.

Varun Chakravarthy. (File | PTI)
Varun Chakravarthy. (File | PTI)

He made his debut against KKR, where his first over went for 25 runs. He never got to play another game during that edition.

Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen:

The England all-rounder was the most expensive cricketer in the 2009 auction, being picked up by CSK for Rs 7.5 crore. However, he got ruled out of the tournament due to injury after playing the first three matches. He never played for another franchise again.

Flintoff's countryman Kevin Pietersen too got picked up by RCB for a similar amount in the 2009 auction.

Former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff. (File | AP)
Former England cricketer Andrew Flintoff. (File | AP)

He also succeded Rahul Dravid as the franchise's skipper for the South Africa campaign. However, he could manage only two wins out of the first six games, before returning home for England duties. Anil Kumble took over the reins and took the team to the finals.

Next year, despite scoring 236 runs in seven matches at an average of 59, RCB released him for the 2011 auction. He went to Deccan Chargers but was traded to Delhi without playing a single match. In his new team, KP scored an impressive 305 runs in eight games.

Kevin Pietersen. (File photo| AP)
Kevin Pietersen. (File photo| AP)

In the 2014 auction, Delhi bought him back for Rs 9 crore, but the move backfired again as apart from his poor tally of 294 runs in eleven games, the team ended in the bottom four under his leadership.

Some other notable underperformers in this category: 

Shane Bond: The Kiwi pacer was bought by KKR in the 2010 auction for nearly Rs 5 crore (joint-highest along with Pollard's bid), but he could only get nine wickets in eight matches.

Corey Anderson: The Kiwi all-rounder was the talk of the town leading to the 2014 auction, due to his innings of 131 in 47 balls against West Indies, which broke Shahid Afridi's record of the fastest ODI ton.

New Zealand's Corey Anderson. (File | AP)
New Zealand's Corey Anderson. (File | AP)

Mumbai bought his services for Rs 4.50 crore but he could only manage 265 runs in 12 games at an average below 30. With the ball, he got only four scalps, while having a poor economy rate of 10.22.

Tymal Mills: The England pacer was snapped up by RCB in the 2017 auction for Rs 12 crore. It turned out to be a bad investment as the cricketer ended the tournament with just five wickets in five games.

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