The Indian Premier League is the most cash-rich T20 league in the world. Every year we have seen a lot of players go for big bucks, a lot of records being broken, and a lot of surprise buys. This IPL Mega Auction is no different where a lot of players went for heavy price tags. The increased purse value and 10 teams made this auction even more lucrative for the players. Let’s see who are the most expensive players to feature in the 2022 edition of the IPL.
11. Kane Williamson – 14 CR
The second Overseas player to feature on this list, Kane Williamson has been playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad since 2015, Williamson was the first retention pick of the Sunrisers Hyderabad and was retained for a price of 14Cr. He is the only capped player that the Sunrisers retained. In 2018 he was the leading run-scorer in the IPL amassing 735 runs. He is also the second most expensive Kiwi player in the IPL after Kyle Jamieson in 2021.
10. Sanju Samson – 14 CR
Sanju Samson was newly appointed as the captain of the Rajasthan Royals and was their first pick in the 2022 IPL Retentions. He was retained by the Royals for a price of 14Cr. Having played for the Royals in 2013, he was the youngest player in the IPL to score a 50 until 2019 when his teammate Riyan Parag broke that record. Having played 121 IPL games, striking at 134.20 and averaging 29.21, Sanju Samson has had a good run in the IPL so far.
9. Deepak Chahar – 14 CR
Deepak Chahar raised a lot of paddles in the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. Chennai Super Kings were successful to buy back their pace spearhead for a price of 14Cr. Chahar has picked the most number of wickets in the Batting Powerplay making him a very highly demanded player to have. With this bid, Chahar is also the most expensive Indian Pacer sold in an IPL auction.
8. Rashid Khan – 15 CR
Arguably the best wrist spin all-rounder in the world who can hit a few out of the park and is electric in the field. Rashid Khan’s story was also somewhat similar to his new teammate Hardik Pandya as he too was not retained by his previous franchise: Sunrisers Hyderabad. Rashid Khan is the most economical bowler in the Indian Premier League and has a knack for picking up key wickets. This made the Gujarat Titans pick Rashid as their second draft player for a price of 15Cr. Khan is also the most expensive overseas player in this version of the IPL.
7. Hardik Pandya – 15 CR
Hardik Pandya could not find any spot in the retention list of the Mumbai Indians but the Gujarat Titans were quick to romp him up into their squad for a price of 15 Cr. Hardik being an X-Factor player over the years has proven himself with the ball and bat time and again. With his recent form slump and fitness issues, it will be interesting how he takes up the captaincy for this brand new franchise.
6. Virat Kohli – 15 CR
The former Indian Captain and the leading run-scorer in the history of the IPL was retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore at a price of 15Cr making him their first retention. He will not be handling the captaincy from this season onwards but a classy player like Kohli is well worth his weight in gold. Kohli will play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore as a pure batsman who can now focus on his batting and continue to plunder runs for his team.
5. Ishan Kishan – 15.25 CR
Multidimensional players are a huge asset to teams in the Indian Premier League and Ishan Kishan is one such player. He gives a left-hand batting, wicket-keeping option and can bat anywhere in the batting order. This made a lot of teams go after the 23-year-old player who has made a mark in the IPL. Kishan was the most expensive player to be sold in this IPL Mega Auction at a price of 15.25 Cr. Mumbai Indians paid out the big bucks to ensure that they retained the services of the young southpaw.
4. Rishabh Pant – 16 CR
The southpaw has been retained for 16Cr by the Delhi Capitals, a team that saw changing fortunes and results after Pant was handed the captaincy. A player like Pant justifies his price tag as he checks a variety of boxes for his franchise: an explosive wicket-keeping left-handed batsman and a captaincy option at a very young age of 24 years.
3. Ravindra Jadeja – 16 CR
Ravindra Jadeja has been an integral cog in the functioning of the Chennai Super Kings ever since he has been a part of their team since 2012. He was the first pick for the Chennai Super Kings when they shelled out 16Cr to retain him. Jadeja has been retained ahead of their captain MS Dhoni which tells how much of an important role he has to offer for the franchise in the next 3 to 4 years.
2. Rohit Sharma – 16 CR
The captain of the Mumbai Indians was retained for 16Cr, being the first pick of his home franchise. He has successfully led the Mumbai Indians from 2013 and, ever since then, has been the most successful captain winning the IPL title a record five times, something which no other captain has achieved in the IPL.
1. KL Rahul – 17 CR
One of the most consistent players in the IPL over the past few years, KL Rahul didn’t want to be retained by the Punjab Kings and hence was a free agent prior to the 2022 IPL. He was snapped up by the Lucknow Super Giants as the most expensive player in the 15th edition of the IPL for a hefty price of 17Cr, which is also the most expensive player in the IPL equalling Virat Kohli. He will look to lead the Lucknow Super Giants in this edition of the IPL.
