Every January-to-December cricket calendar now revolves around one unmissable evening of theatre: the Indian Premier League auction. Since 2008, the IPL auction has grown from a curious experiment in a Mumbai hotel ballroom into a multi-million-rupee spectacle broadcast live to millions of fans. Here is the complete history of the IPL auction, from MS Dhoni’s headline-grabbing first bid to Rishabh Pant’s record-breaking Rs 27 crore deal.
IPL Auction History: Quick Facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| First auction | 20 February 2008, Mumbai |
| Mega auctions held | 2008, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2022, 2025 |
| Most expensive player ever | Rishabh Pant, Rs 27 crore (Lucknow Super Giants, 2025) |
| Most expensive overseas buy | Cameron Green, Rs 25.2 crore (Kolkata Knight Riders, 2026) |
| First auction outside India | 2024 mini auction, Dubai |
| First woman auctioneer | Mallika Sagar (2024) |
| Youngest player ever bought | Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged 13, Rs 1.10 crore (Rajasthan Royals, 2025) |
The Beginning: The First IPL Auction in 2008
When the BCCI and Lalit Modi launched the IPL in early 2008, nobody knew if a player auction would work in cricket. On 20 February 2008, franchise owners gathered at the Hilton Towers in Mumbai to bid for 77 international and domestic players, with Richard Madley holding the gavel.
The headline act was MS Dhoni, fresh off captaining India to the inaugural T20 World Cup title. Chennai Super Kings paid Rs 9.5 crore (around US$1.5 million) for him, making the India captain the most expensive player of the first auction. Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Yuvraj Singh were among the “icon players” pre-assigned to franchises, but Dhoni’s price set the tone: the IPL auction would be bold, dramatic, and unapologetically big.
International stars like Andrew Symonds, Sanath Jayasuriya, Jacques Kallis and Brett Lee also fetched seven-figure sums, and the experiment was an instant success. A format borrowed from English county cricket had found a home in India.
Mega Auctions vs Mini Auctions
Not every IPL auction is the same. Mega auctions, held roughly every three years, see teams release almost their entire squads and rebuild from scratch with a large player pool. Mini auctions, held in the intervening years, let teams plug specific gaps with a much smaller list.
The mega auctions, each a landmark in IPL history, were:
- 2008, Mumbai: the inaugural auction. MS Dhoni to CSK for Rs 9.5 crore.
- 2011, Bengaluru: after the league expanded, teams rebuilt completely. Gautam Gambhir went to Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 14.9 crore, then the record.
- 2014, Bengaluru: Yuvraj Singh moved to Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 14 crore, while Dinesh Karthik fetched Rs 12.5 crore from Delhi Daredevils.
- 2018, Bengaluru: the Right to Match (RTM) card era peaked. Ben Stokes went to Rajasthan Royals for Rs 12.5 crore.
- 2022, Bengaluru: with two new teams (Lucknow and Gujarat) joining, Ishan Kishan was the headline buy at Rs 15.25 crore for Mumbai Indians.
- 2025, Jeddah: the first mega auction held overseas. Rishabh Pant’s Rs 27 crore move to Lucknow Super Giants shattered every record.
IPL Auction Venues Through the Years
For its first 15 years the auction never left India, rotating between Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Goa, Jaipur, Kolkata and Kochi, with Bengaluru’s ITC Gardenia hosting it the most. The event went global in December 2023, when the 2024 mini auction was staged at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. The 2025 mega auction followed at the Abady Al-Johar Arena in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and the 2026 mini auction was held at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on 16 December 2025.
Most Expensive Player in Every IPL Auction (2008 to 2026)
The price of the most expensive player in each auction tells the story of the league’s financial explosion better than anything else. Here is the verified year-by-year list:
| Season | Player | Team | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | MS Dhoni | CSK | Rs 9.5 crore |
| 2009 | Kevin Pietersen, Andrew Flintoff | RCB, CSK | Rs 9.8 crore |
| 2010 | Kieron Pollard, Shane Bond | MI, KKR | Rs 4.8 crore |
| 2011 | Gautam Gambhir | KKR | Rs 14.9 crore |
| 2012 | Ravindra Jadeja | CSK | Rs 12.8 crore |
| 2013 | Glenn Maxwell | MI | Rs 6.3 crore |
| 2014 | Yuvraj Singh | RCB | Rs 14 crore |
| 2015 | Yuvraj Singh | DD | Rs 16 crore |
| 2016 | Shane Watson | RCB | Rs 9.5 crore |
| 2017 | Ben Stokes | RPS | Rs 14.5 crore |
| 2018 | Ben Stokes | RR | Rs 12.5 crore |
| 2019 | Jaydev Unadkat, Varun Chakravarthy | RR, KXIP | Rs 8.4 crore |
| 2020 | Pat Cummins | KKR | Rs 15.5 crore |
| 2021 | Chris Morris | RR | Rs 16.25 crore |
| 2022 | Ishan Kishan | MI | Rs 15.25 crore |
| 2023 | Sam Curran | PBKS | Rs 18.5 crore |
| 2024 | Mitchell Starc | KKR | Rs 24.75 crore |
| 2025 | Rishabh Pant | LSG | Rs 27 crore |
| 2026 | Cameron Green | KKR | Rs 25.2 crore |
Record-Breaking Bids That Rewrote the History Books
A handful of auctions stand out for bids that redefined what a cricketer could earn:
- 2025, Jeddah — Pant’s Rs 27 crore: Punjab Kings spent Rs 26.75 crore on Shreyas Iyer, a record that lasted minutes. Moments later, Lucknow Super Giants paid Rs 27 crore for Rishabh Pant after Delhi Capitals declined to use their RTM card. Pant remains the most expensive player in IPL history.
- 2024, Dubai — the Starc-Cummins duel: Sunrisers Hyderabad paid Rs 20.5 crore for Pat Cummins, briefly the record, before Kolkata Knight Riders spent Rs 24.75 crore on Mitchell Starc in the same evening.
- 2021, Chennai — Morris’s shock record: Rajasthan Royals paid Rs 16.25 crore for Chris Morris, stunning everyone and setting the benchmark for four years.
- 2015, Bengaluru — Yuvraj again: Delhi Daredevils paid Rs 16 crore for Yuvraj Singh, making him the costliest player in two consecutive auctions.
- 2011, Bengaluru — Gambhir’s gamble: Kolkata Knight Riders staked Rs 14.9 crore on Gautam Gambhir. He repaid them with two IPL titles as captain.
- 2026, Abu Dhabi — Green’s overseas record: Kolkata Knight Riders paid Rs 25.2 crore for Cameron Green, the highest bid ever for an overseas player, though Pant’s overall record survived.
Memorable Moments Beyond the Money
The auction has produced drama that no scriptwriter could invent. In 2010, four franchises wanted Kieron Pollard so badly that the bid hit the cap and a secret tie-breaker decided his fate in Mumbai Indians’ favour. In 2018, Sunrisers Hyderabad used the RTM card to snatch Rashid Khan back in a tense standoff.
In 2023, Hugh Edmeades collapsed on stage during the auction and had to be replaced mid-event, a frightening moment that thankfully ended well. The following year, Mallika Sagar took over the gavel at the Dubai auction, becoming the first woman to conduct an IPL auction, and she has led the event since.
The 2025 mega auction produced one of the most heartwarming stories in the event’s history: Rajasthan Royals signed 13-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi for Rs 1.10 crore, the youngest player ever picked in an IPL auction. In all, the ten franchises spent a combined Rs 639.15 crore on 182 players across the two days in Jeddah.
How the Auction Actually Works
Players register with a base price, the minimum bid franchises can make. Registered players are grouped into sets — marquee, capped batters, bowlers, all-rounders and wicketkeepers, then uncapped Indian and overseas players. The auctioneer raises the price in fixed increments until only one franchise remains. Teams must stay within their salary purse and squad limits, including a maximum of eight overseas players, and unsold players can return in accelerated rounds later in the day.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the most expensive player in IPL auction history?
Rishabh Pant, bought by Lucknow Super Giants for Rs 27 crore at the 2025 mega auction in Jeddah. The previous record was Shreyas Iyer’s Rs 26.75 crore, set minutes earlier at the same auction.
When was the first IPL auction held?
The first IPL auction took place on 20 February 2008 at the Hilton Towers in Mumbai. MS Dhoni was the most expensive player, bought by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 9.5 crore.
How many mega auctions have been held in the IPL?
Six mega auctions have been held so far: 2008, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2025. The auctions in between are smaller mini auctions where teams fill specific squad gaps.
Who conducts the IPL auction?
Mallika Sagar has conducted the auction since 2024, becoming the first woman to hold the IPL gavel. Before her, Hugh Edmeades and Richard Madley were the regular auctioneers.
When is the next IPL auction?
The next auction, a mini auction ahead of IPL 2027, is expected in December 2026. The date and venue are yet to be officially announced.
Conclusion
From a Rs 9.5 crore bid for MS Dhoni in a Mumbai ballroom to a Rs 27 crore frenzy for Rishabh Pant in Jeddah, the IPL auction’s history is the history of modern cricket’s economy. The numbers keep climbing, the venues keep getting grander, and the drama never fades. With the next auction expected in December 2026, one thing is certain: somebody’s life is about to change when the hammer comes down.
