Top 10 Highest Paid IPL Players of All Time

Top 10 Highest Paid IPL Players

The Indian Premier League has never been shy about spending big on cricket's biggest stars. But in recent years, the numbers have moved from big to extraordinary.

Rishabh Pant became the first player to cross ₹27 crore at an IPL auction in 2025. Shreyas Iyer went for ₹26.75 crore in the same auction, while Cameron Green's ₹25.20 crore bid in 2026 made him the most expensive overseas player in IPL auction history.

Those numbers have completely changed the answer to a question that used to have a very different list: who are the highest paid IPL players of all time?

Here is the current top 10, using each player's highest single-season IPL auction or contracted value. Where an auction bid and the actual player fee differ, the distinction is explained.

*Cameron Green's ₹25.20 crore is his winning auction bid. Under the IPL's current maximum-fee rules for overseas players, his actual player fee is capped at ₹18 crore.

1. Rishabh Pant – ₹27 Crore

Team: Lucknow Super Giants
Year: 2025
Role: Wicketkeeper-batter

Rishabh Pant sits at the top of the list and, for now, has a clear lead over everyone else.

Lucknow Super Giants paid ₹27 crore for Pant at the 2025 mega auction, making him the most expensive player ever bought at an IPL auction. The bid came after a fierce contest between franchises and broke the record that had stood for just a few minutes after Shreyas Iyer's purchase.

Pant's price was not simply a reflection of his batting. He brought the value of a proven Indian wicketkeeper, a middle-order match-winner and a player capable of leading a franchise.

The ₹27 crore figure also says something about the economics of the modern IPL. Just a few years earlier, ₹20 crore was considered an almost unimaginable price for a single player. Pant pushed the ceiling to an entirely new level.

2. Shreyas Iyer – ₹26.75 Crore

Team: Punjab Kings
Year: 2025
Role: Batter

For a brief period in November 2024, Shreyas Iyer was the most expensive player in IPL history.

Punjab Kings bought the Indian batter for ₹26.75 crore at the 2025 mega auction, immediately breaking the previous record. He was subsequently overtaken by Pant later in the auction.

Iyer's valuation made particular sense given what he offered beyond his batting. He had already captained Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL title in 2024 and entered the auction as one of India's most established middle-order batters.

He also made the price look considerably more reasonable during IPL 2025, scoring 604 runs and leading Punjab Kings to the final.

That makes Iyer an interesting case on this list: he wasn't simply an expensive purchase; he delivered a season that broadly justified the extraordinary investment.

3. Cameron Green – ₹25.20 Crore

Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
Year: 2026
Role: All-rounder

Cameron Green created a slightly unusual piece of IPL history at the 2026 auction.

Kolkata Knight Riders bid ₹25.20 crore for the Australian all-rounder, making him the third-highest auction purchase in IPL history and the most expensive overseas player ever bought at an IPL auction.

There is, however, an important distinction between Green's auction price and his salary.

Under the IPL's maximum-fee rules, an overseas player cannot receive more than ₹18 crore as his player fee. The amount above that can still be deducted from a franchise's auction purse, but it does not become additional salary for the player.

So Green is the third-highest player by auction value, but not the third-highest player by actual IPL salary.

That distinction is important when comparing modern IPL records with older auctions.

4. Mitchell Starc – ₹24.75 Crore

Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
Year: 2024
Role: Fast bowler

Before the 2025 auction completely changed the record book, Mitchell Starc was the undisputed king of the IPL auction.

Kolkata Knight Riders bought the Australian fast bowler for ₹24.75 crore at the 2024 auction, making him the most expensive player in IPL history at the time.

Starc's purchase was particularly notable because of how long he had been away from the IPL. His international reputation, left-arm pace and ability to bowl at the death made him one of the most coveted players available.

There was also a very satisfying ending to the story. Starc helped KKR win the IPL 2024 title, taking 17 wickets during the campaign, including match-changing performances in the playoffs.

His price was enormous. But unlike many expensive IPL purchases, he ended the season with a winners' medal.

5. Venkatesh Iyer – ₹23.75 Crore

Team: Kolkata Knight Riders
Year: 2025
Role: All-rounder

Kolkata Knight Riders made another extraordinary investment in 2025 when they bought Venkatesh Iyer for ₹23.75 crore.

The price was a huge jump from his previous IPL contract and made him the third-most expensive player at the 2025 mega auction behind Pant and Shreyas Iyer.

Venkatesh had already demonstrated his value to KKR as a powerful left-handed batter who could also contribute with the ball. His ability to provide balance as an Indian all-rounder was undoubtedly part of the attraction.

His case also illustrates how quickly IPL valuations can change. A player can go from being a valuable member of a squad to commanding one of the largest contracts in the entire league within a single auction cycle.

6. Virat Kohli – ₹21 Crore

Team: Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Year: 2025
Role: Batter

Virat Kohli's place on this list is different from most of the others.

He wasn't bought for ₹21 crore at an auction.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained Kohli for ₹21 crore ahead of the 2025 season, making him one of the highest-paid players in IPL history without entering the auction pool.

It was a fitting valuation for a player who has effectively become synonymous with RCB and the IPL itself.

Kohli subsequently delivered one of his most memorable IPL seasons. He scored 657 runs in 15 matches in IPL 2025, helping RCB win their first IPL title and ending the franchise's long wait for a championship.

His ₹21 crore retention therefore represents more than a salary. It reflects the value of one of the competition's biggest sporting and commercial stars.

7. Nicholas Pooran – ₹21 Crore

Team: Lucknow Super Giants
Year: 2026
Role: Wicketkeeper-batter

Nicholas Pooran joined the ₹21 crore club when Lucknow Super Giants retained him ahead of IPL 2026.

The West Indian had already established himself as one of the most destructive middle-order batters in T20 cricket, but his 2025 IPL campaign strengthened his case considerably.

Pooran scored 524 runs in IPL 2025 at a remarkable strike rate of 196.25, hitting 40 sixes. LSG responded by retaining him for ₹21 crore.

That made Pooran one of the highest-paid West Indian players in IPL history and one of only a handful of players to command a contract worth more than ₹20 crore.

Unlike an auction purchase, a retention figure represents a franchise's decision to keep an existing player rather than the result of an open bidding war. It nevertheless counts as a contracted IPL salary and therefore belongs in a list of the league's highest-paid players.

8. Pat Cummins – ₹20.50 Crore

Team: Sunrisers Hyderabad
Year: 2024
Role: Fast bowler

Pat Cummins became the most expensive player in IPL history for a matter of hours at the 2024 auction before Starc's even bigger bid came along.

Sunrisers Hyderabad eventually paid ₹20.50 crore for the Australian captain.

The investment quickly looked smart.

Cummins led SRH to the IPL 2024 final, while also contributing with the ball and providing the leadership that had helped Australia win the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup in the preceding period.

His price was therefore based on more than bowling statistics. SRH were buying an international captain, a proven big-match performer and a genuine all-round leader.

9. Sam Curran – ₹18.50 Crore

Team: Punjab Kings
Year: 2023
Role: All-rounder

Sam Curran held the IPL auction record before the extraordinary spending of 2024 and 2025.

Punjab Kings bought him for ₹18.50 crore at the 2023 auction, making him the first player to cross the ₹18 crore mark.

At the time, the figure looked almost surreal.

Curran's appeal was easy to understand. He was a left-arm seamer, a hard-hitting lower-order batter and an all-rounder who could contribute in multiple phases of a T20 match. He had also played a major role in England's 2022 T20 World Cup triumph.

His record lasted for only one year, but the price remains among the largest ever paid for an IPL player.

10= Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal – ₹18 Crore

Team: Punjab Kings
Year: 2025
Roles: Fast bowler / spinner

The final position on the list is shared by two Indian bowlers.

Punjab Kings spent ₹18 crore each on Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal at the 2025 mega auction.

Arshdeep's purchase was particularly notable because Punjab used the Right to Match option to bring him back. He had developed from a ₹20 lakh signing in 2019 into one of India's leading white-ball fast bowlers.

Chahal, meanwhile, became one of the most expensive specialist spinners in IPL history at the same auction.

The two deals also demonstrate how much the value of Indian bowling has risen. The IPL's biggest contracts are no longer reserved almost exclusively for superstar batters and all-rounders.

Who Is the Most Expensive Overseas IPL Player?

The answer depends on whether you mean auction price or actual player salary.

By auction price, Cameron Green holds the record after Kolkata Knight Riders bid ₹25.20 crore for him in the 2026 auction.

But under the IPL's maximum-fee rule, Green's actual player fee is capped at ₹18 crore.

Before Green, Mitchell Starc held the record for the most expensive overseas player, having been bought by KKR for ₹24.75 crore in 2024.

That makes Starc's figure particularly interesting: unlike Green's 2026 bid, Starc's ₹24.75 crore was not subject to the current ₹18 crore overseas maximum-fee rule.

Who Was the First Player to Cross ₹20 Crore in the IPL?

The first player to cross ₹20 crore at an IPL auction was Pat Cummins, who was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for ₹20.50 crore in 2024.

He was immediately followed by Mitchell Starc, who went for ₹24.75 crore later in the same auction.

The record then changed dramatically in 2025, when Shreyas Iyer reached ₹26.75 crore and Rishabh Pant pushed it to ₹27 crore.

The progression tells the story:

• 2023: Sam Curran – ₹18.50 crore
• 2024: Pat Cummins – ₹20.50 crore
• 2024: Mitchell Starc – ₹24.75 crore
• 2025: Shreyas Iyer – ₹26.75 crore
• 2025: Rishabh Pant – ₹27 crore
• 2026: Cameron Green – ₹25.20 crore auction bid

In just three auction cycles, the IPL went from its first ₹18 crore player to a ₹27 crore record.

Why Are IPL Players Being Paid So Much?

The answer is partly about the extraordinary economics of the IPL.

Franchises are not simply buying runs or wickets. They are investing in players who can influence matches, attract supporters, strengthen a brand and fill a specific tactical role within a limited squad.

Indian players can be particularly valuable because there are restrictions on the number of overseas players a team can field. A franchise therefore cannot simply solve every weakness by buying an overseas star.

That scarcity helps explain why the biggest contracts increasingly belong to Indian players such as Pant, Iyer, Kohli and Arshdeep.

The IPL's growing commercial strength has also pushed player valuations higher. What looked like an outrageous ₹18.50 crore investment when Sam Curran set the record in 2023 was surpassed repeatedly within two years.

Highest Paid IPL Players: What the Record Shows

The most striking feature of this list is how quickly the IPL's salary ceiling has moved.

For years, the benchmark was around ₹15 crore. Then Curran pushed it to ₹18.50 crore. Cummins and Starc followed, and the 2025 mega auction took the market into territory that would have seemed impossible only a few seasons earlier.

There is another trend worth noticing.

The list is increasingly dominated by Indian players. Pant and Iyer occupy the top two positions, while Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Arshdeep Singh and Chahal also feature. That is partly a consequence of the scarcity of high-quality Indian players who can occupy crucial roles in a franchise's playing XI.

And then there is Cameron Green, whose ₹25.20 crore auction bid shows that overseas players can still command enormous numbers — even though the current fee structure means the headline auction figure and actual player payment are not always the same thing.

For now, Rishabh Pant remains the highest-paid IPL player by headline contract value, at ₹27 crore.

But given how quickly the record has risen in recent auctions, it would be unwise to assume that number will remain at the top for long.

FAQs

Who is the highest paid IPL player of all time?

Rishabh Pant is currently the highest-paid IPL player by headline contract or auction value. Lucknow Super Giants bought him for ₹27 crore at the 2025 IPL mega auction.

Who is the second highest paid IPL player in the IPL?

Shreyas Iyer is second at ₹26.75 crore. Punjab Kings bought him at the 2025 mega auction.

Who is the most expensive overseas player in IPL history?

Cameron Green has the highest auction value for an overseas player after Kolkata Knight Riders bid ₹25.20 crore for him at the 2026 auction. However, the current overseas maximum-fee rule caps his actual player fee at ₹18 crore.

Who was the first ₹20 crore player in the IPL?

Pat Cummins became the first player to cross ₹20 crore when Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him for ₹20.50 crore at the 2024 auction.

Who was the most expensive IPL player before Rishabh Pant?

Shreyas Iyer briefly held the record at ₹26.75 crore before Rishabh Pant was bought for ₹27 crore at the 2025 auction.

Is Virat Kohli one of the highest-paid IPL players?

Yes. Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained Virat Kohli for ₹21 crore ahead of IPL 2025, placing him among the highest-paid players in IPL history.

Which IPL team has spent the most on an individual player?

Lucknow Super Giants h

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