The Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction concluded with ten franchises spending a total of INR 551,70,00,000 in two days. Out of 600 players, 204 were bought.
With some big names in the auction pool, the franchises were bound to go all out for their desired players. The mega auction witnessed IPL teams waging a bidding war for the youngsters who are yet to make a name for themselves in the international circuit but have massive potential to make that happen. Without further adieu, let’s have a look at the top three costliest players of the IPL 2022 auction.
Ishan Kishan – Mumbai Indians – INR 15.25 crore
Ishan Kishan, who has been with the Mumbai Indians (MI) since 2018, has been brought back by the team for INR 15.25 crore. The 23-year-old has played 56 innings and scored 1452 runs with a strike rate of 136.34. The wicket-keeper batsman was also the MI’s highest run-scorer in the IPL 2020, with 516 runs from 14 matches, and won the season’s most sixes award.
Deepak Chahar – Chennai Super Kings – INR 14 crore
Deepak Chahar was bought by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for INR 14 crore in the auction after outbidding the other interested franchises. The four-time winners previously had paid INR 80 lakh for the swing bowler in 2018. A nearly 18-fold salary increase over four years not only demonstrated that the IPL is recession-proof even in a pandemic-hit world, but it also expressed how a franchise could go above and beyond for a specific player. The 29-year-old has 59 wickets in 63 IPL games with an economy of 7.8.
Shreyas Iyer – Kolkata Knight Riders – INR 12.25 crore
The two-time IPL champions were adamant about having Shreyas Iyer in their line-up. The former Delhi Capitals (DC) captain has played 87 matches and scored a whopping 2375 runs. The 27-year-old averages around 130 and strikes around 120, indicating he is a well-balanced player. In the upcoming IPL season, the last year’s finalists will look to repeat the incredible performance with the inclusion of a reliable top-order batsman.