While the world has been struggling to get out of the trauma of the year of the pandemic, awaiting the arrival of the much-awaited IPL 2021 surely brings some joy.

Though there is still time to go for the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League, the players’ auction is soon to be conducted. As per reports, the 2021 auction will take place in Chennai on 18 February.

While the preparations for the 2021 IPL are in place, let’s take a look at the highest-paid players over the years.

IPL 2008: MS Dhoni – Rs. 6 crores approx

MS Dhoni joined the Chennai-based IPL franchise for a whopping USD 1.5 million (INR 6 crore back then) back in 2008. MS Dhoni emerged as the highest-paid player in IPL’s history at that time. was CSK’s second most run-scorer in that season by scoring 414 runs in 16 matches, while Dhoni-led CSK finished as the runners-up in that tournament.

IPL 2009: Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen – Rs. 7.55 crore approx each

In 2009, England’s star players, Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff became the most expensive players of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after being sold for a whopping $1.55 million (approximately Rs 7.55 crore) in the second edition and received Rs 1.35 crore more than what Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni got in the first edition.

IPL 2010: Shane Bond and Kieron Pollard – Rs 3.4 crore approx for each

Indian Premier League (IPL) 2010 witnessed West Indies all-rounder Kieron Pollard and New Zealand pacer Shane Bond emerging as the most expensive cricketers of the T20 tournament.

IPL 2011: Gautam Gambhir – INR 11.04 crore approx

India’s Gautam Gambhir fetched a whopping bid of INR 11.04 crores from Kolkata Knight Riders and ended up shepherding the team on a successful path for the ensuing eight editions of the tournament. The Delhi-based cricketer led the team from Kolkata to two title wins and forged an emotional bond with the city of joy, reported Yahoo Cricket.

IPL 2012: Ravindra Jadeja – Rs 9.72 crore approx

For the IPL auction 2012, India allrounder Ravindra Jadeja has bagged the top prize of $2 million. Jadeja proved beneficial for MS Dhoni’s team later on.

IPL 2013: Glenn Maxwell – Rs 5.3 crore approx

For the IPL 2013, Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been sold to Mumbai Indians for a staggering sum of $1,000,000.

IPL 2014: Yuvraj Singh Rs. 14 crore

In 2013, Vijay Mallya’s Royal Challengers Bangalore paid up Rs 14 crore for Yuvraj Singh, making him the most expensive player in IPL history at that time.

IPL 2015: Yuvraj Singh Rs. 16 crore

In 2015, Yuvraj Singh made a new record as he emerged as the costliest buy ever in the Indian Premier League by going for a whopping Rs 16 crore to Delhi Daredevils.

IPL 2016: Shane Watson Rs. 9.5 crore

Australia’s all-rounder Shane Watson had emerged as the biggest draw going for a whopping Rs 9.5 crore, while Yuvraj Singh was the costliest buy among the Indians with a bid for Rs 7 crore in a rather low-key IPL players’ auction in 2016.

IPL 2017: Ben Stokes Rs. 14.50 crore

In 2017, England’s all-rounder Ben Stokes became the most expensive overseas player in the IPL history. With Rising Pune Supergiants signing him up for Rs 14.5 cr, Stokes dwarfed Kevin Pietersen, who was bought for Rs 9 crore by Delhi Daredevils in 2014.

IPL 2018: Ben Stokes Rs. 12.50 crore

England’s Ben Stokes made an amazing entry into the IPL when he was bagged for INR 14.5 crores by Rising Pune Supergiants, making him the biggest buy-in 2017.

IPL 2019: Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Chakravarthy – Rs. 8.4 crore

For the second time running, Jaydev Unadkat, earned big in the IPL Auction as he was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for INR 8.4 Crore. The other person picked with the same winning bid of INR 8.4 Crore was Varun Chakravarthy who got a whopping 42x increase on his base price as Kings XI Punjab successfully added him to their roster.

IPL 2020: Pat Cummins – Rs. 15.50 crore

Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins became the costliest player in the IPL 2020 Player Auction. Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for Rs 15.50 crore for the 2020 Indian Premier League season. Cummins also became the second most expensive player in an IPL auction, after none other than Yuvraj Singh.