he moment cricket fans have been waiting for has finally arrived. The mini-auction for players for IPL 2026 will be completed today (December 16, 2025) at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. Now, let’s discuss the 10 most expensive players in IPL history, and Rishabh Pant’s name comes first. Since the begining of the tournament, there were multiple players, who caused the record book to be updated. In this year’s IPL acution, there will be multiple players who have potential to break the bank. Before that, let’s take a look on the stat book, from where we will know about the top 10 most expensive players of all time in the Indian Premier League.
Top 10 expensive players in IPL ahead of IPL 2026 auction
In the IPL 2025 mega auction, the Lucknow Super Giants team included Rishabh Pant in their fleet by placing a record bid of ₹27 crore. Shreyas Iyer is in second place. He was bought by the Punjab Kings for ₹26.75 crore (267.5 million rupees) last season. Mitchell Starc is in third place. Starc was bought by the Kolkata Knight Riders for ₹24.75 crore (247.5 million rupees) in the IPL 2024 auction.
Venkatesh Iyer is in fourth place with ₹23.75 crore (237.5 million rupees), and Heinrich Klaasen is in fifth place with ₹23 crore (230 million rupees). Virat Kohli was retained by RCB for ₹21 crore in 2024, making him the sixth most expensive player in IPL history. Nicholas Pooran is in seventh place. Pooran was acquired by the Lucknow Super Giants for ₹21 crore in 2024.
Pat Cummins comes in eighth place. In IPL 2023, Sunrisers Hyderabad added him to their squad for ₹20.50 crore. Sam Curran is ninth with ₹18.50 crore. Arshdeep Singh is the final player in the top 10. He was signed by Punjab Kings in 2024 for ₹18 crore.
List of top 10 most expensive players in IPL history:
- Rishabh Pant
- Shreyas Iyer
- Mitchell Starc
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Heinrich Klaasen
- Virat Kohli
- Nicholas Pooran
- Pat Cummins
- Sam Curran
- Arshdeep Singh