%2Fsportzpoint%2Fmedia_files%2F47b9c68b-3da8-424d-a2ad-10849ed466a4.jpg&w=3840&q=75)
The much-anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 player auction is set to take place on December 16 in Abu Dhabi, and all ten teams are busy fine-tuning their strategies for the mini-auction. Despite being a shorter event, the player pool this year is surprisingly deep. As the teams gear up for the bidding battle on December 16, here is a look at top 10 greatest moments in IPL auction history.
Greatest moments in IPL auction history
10. Sam Curran set the biggest signing in IPL auction 2023
The IPL 2023 auction witnessed Sam Curran set a new record for the biggest signing in the history of the tournament. The England all-rounder fetched a whopping amount of INR 18.5 crore with Punjab Kings acquiring his services.
Curran struck gold at the auction thanks to his performance in the 2022 T20 World Cup. He was the Player of the Tournament in England’s title-winning campaign and also the Player of the Match in the final against Pakistan. In an intense bidding war, Punjab Kings fought off Chennai, Lucknow and Mumbai to claim the all-rounder.
9. Interesting bidding war for Kieron Pollard in 2010 IPL auction
The 2010 IPL auction saw an interesting bidding war that changed Mumbai Indians' fortunes forever. The explosive West Indies all-rounder, Kieron Pollard triggered a battle among four franchises, MI, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Kolkata Knight Riders, all reaching the maximum bid cap of USD 750,000.
Following this, a secret tie-breaker took place where teams submitted sealed bids, with Mumbai Indians emerging victorious. The final amount remained undisclosed, known only to then-IPL commissioner Lalit Modi and the franchise. This gamble proved in the favour of Mumbai Indians, as Pollard became a crucial member of their five IPL titles. In 189 games, he scored 3412 runs at a strike rate of 147.32 while claiming 69 wickets.
8. Andrew Flintoff sold to CSK in 2009 IPL auction
The 2009 IPL auction made headlines when former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff became the joint highest-paid player that year, securing a USD 1.55 million deal with Chennai Super Kings. However, the bid later was under controversy when former IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi made surprising revelations about its legitimacy.
Modi claimed he was pressured to manipulate the auction process to ensure Flintoff's acquisition by CSK. While Modi admitted to this irregularity, BCCI President N Srinivasan, who was also the managing director of India Cements (CSK's owner), denied these allegations, mentioning them as baseless. Flintoff's IPL career was cut short after just three matches due to injury, and subsequent knee surgery forced him to miss the 2010 season entirely.
7. Jaydev Unadkat headlined IPL auction 2018
Jaydev Unadkat headlined IPL Auctions 2018 on Day 2 with Rajasthan Royals breaking the bank for the services of the Saurashtra bowler for a whopping Rs 11.5 crore, surpassing the Rs 11 crore price tag fetched by KL Rahul (KXIP) and Manish Pandey (SRH) the previous day, thus becoming the costliest Indian player at the auction.
Unadkat quick carved out a reputation as a fine T20 bowler in the IPL 2017 with his 24 wickets at 13.41. The Saurashtra bowler was hugely effective in the death-overs.
6. Massive bidding war for uncapped Varun Chakravarthy
The IPL auctions often produce big surprises and unexpected moments and one such moment came during the auction for the 2019 season. Varun Chakravarthy had impressed in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL). However, nobody would’ve expected him to fetch the biggest pay-cheque from the auctions.
But Chakravarthy exceeded all expectations as KXIP grabbed him for a stunning amount of INR 8.4 crores. Moreover, it was the bidding war that was as surprising as the amount. Delhi and Chennai started the bidding war before Punjab joined in at INR 3.6 crores. Rajasthan then came to the fore from INR 5 crores before backing out at INR 6.8 crores. Kolkata joined in before KXIP finally pouched the mystery spinner for INR 8.4 crores.
Also Read: Most runs in an edition of IPL
5. Rishabh Pant became most expensive players in IPL
Rishabh Pant was bought for ₹27 crore during the IPL 2025 mega auction. Pant, released by Delhi Capitals (DC), was signed by Lucknow Super Giants for ₹27 crore, becoming the most expensive player in IPL. The historic bid came shortly after Shreyas Iyer, the title-winning captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), was acquired by Punjab Kings for ₹26.75 crore for IPL 2025.
Pant made a comeback in IPL 2024 after recovering from the severe injuries he sustained in a life-threatening car accident in December 2022. Upon his return, he was reinstated as captain of Delhi Capitals and he scored 446 runs in what turned out to be another average season for the team.
4. KXIP picked Chris Gayle in IPL auction 2018
After a rather sedate time with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the first three seasons, Chris Gayle went unsold in the 2011 IPL auctions. However, he was called up by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) as an injury replacement. Hence, that time on, Gayle became a force.
He blasted bowling attacks all around the ground and kept racking up big scores. He was the heart of the RCB line-up for the next few years and was smashing records left, right and centre. But in 2016 and 2017, he couldn’t keep up with his form and had two bad years. Thus, RCB decided to let him go. Having set his base price at INR 2 crore, the Jamaican opener went unsold in the first two rounds of the auction in 2018.
Just when everyone thought that the time has passed for the Gayle, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) came out of nowhere to buy Gayle at his base price. The left-handed opener has done well and has been KXIP’s second-highest run-scorer in 2018 and 2019.
3. Yuvraj Singh hit the double jackpot at the IPL auctions
Yuvraj Singh hit the jackpot at the IPL auctions not once but twice when he became the most expensive player in back-to-back years in 2014 and 2015. After winning the battle against cancer, Yuvraj made his comeback to the national side and his stocks in the IPL were at an all-time high.
In the IPL 2014 auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore acquired Yuvraj for INR 14 crore after a fierce bidding war with Kolkata Knight Riders. Yuvraj did well in that season, scoring 376 runs at an average of 34 while striking at 135. Despite that, RCB released him ahead of the next auction to get him at a cheaper price.
However, the move backfired as Yuvraj ended up becoming the costliest player in the IPL after Delhi Capitals bought him for INR 16 crore. Funnily enough, the losing bidders were none other than Bangalore.
2. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins duo fetched INR 45.25 crore in IPL auction 2024
The fast bowling duo of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad fetched INR 45.25 crore between them in the IPL auction 2024. The Australia captain Pat Cummins became the first ever player to break the 20-crore barrier at IPL auctions when Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for INR 20.50 crore.
Just an hour later, Mitchell Starc surpassed his teammate to become the most expensive player in the history of the IPL. Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans had the most balance and they kept going. KKR eventually won the bidding war for an insane amount of INR 24.75 crore.
Also Read: Most valuable player in each season of IPL
1. Mumbai Indians secure Rohit Sharma at 2011 IPL auction
It was a three-way battle for the Hitman between Kings XI Punjab, Deccan Chargers and Mumbai Indians. The Ambani-owned franchise eventually secured Rohit Sharma for USD 2 million. In 2013, they named him the captain of the franchise after Ricky Ponting stepped down due to a poor start to the season.
It remains one of the most memorable moments at IPL auctions and in Mumbai’s history as he went on to lead MI to five IPL titles and one Champions League trophy.
