IPL: Best XI of costliest players at auctions

The inaugural season of the Indian Premier League kick-started in 2008. It has been fifteen editions since then and fans have witnessed some exhilarating action on the cricket field. The player auction has been an integral part of the lucrative T20 tournament since its inception and has provided opportunities for franchises to revamp their squads. 

Over the years, many world-class cricketers have featured at the IPL auction and franchises have broken banks to sign them. Some of these cricketers happened to deliver power-packed performances and justified every penny that was put on them, while there we a few who could not live up to their price tag.

Here is the Best XI of the costliest players at the IPL auctions

1. Ishan Kishan

Ishan Kishan was quite stunning in the 13th edition of the lucrative T20 tournament and smashed 516 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 145.76. His batting exploits were instrumental in Mumbai Indians clinching their fifth IPL title. The southpaw did a decent job in the following season, scoring 241 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 133.88.

Courtesy of his performances, Kishan became an integral part of the Mumbai set-up. Also, the southpaw is a safe gloveman, which added his value to the side. Thus, when the Indian batter went under the hammer at the 2022 mega auction, MI left no stone unturned to sign him and spent a staggering sum of INR 15.25 crore to rope him in.

Kishan fared well, scoring 418 runs in 14 matches at a strike rate of 120.11. The wicketkeeper-batter, who is known for his fearless brand of cricket, also showed his ability to steady the ship when the team was in trouble. The Patna-born would be itching to stamp his authority in the upcoming season.