Why Team Owners Keep Spending Big Investment Despite Huge Team Costs
The IPL auctions have seen phenomenal talent changing hands among franchises like Mumbai Indians (MI), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Delhi Capitals (DC), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Gujarat Titans (GT), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Rajasthan Royals (RR), all of which were involved in the process.
Starting with the most expensive player, Sanath Jayasuriya, at ₹4.2 crore, MI’s increase in value of the highest buys went from Rohit Sharma at ₹8.9 crore, Ishan Kishan at ₹15.25 crore, and Cameron Green at ₹17.5 crore in 2011, 2022, and 2023, respectively.
The main signing of CSK includes MS Dhoni at ₹6 crore in 2008, Ravindra Jadeja at ₹9.72 crore in 2012, Ben Stokes ₹16.25 crore in 2023, and Noor Ahmad at ₹10 crore in 2025.
RCB, entertaining the big guns, went the route of batters with their purchases of Kevin Pietersen (₹9.8 crore, 2009), Yuvraj Singh (₹14 crore, 2014), and Kyle Jamieson (₹15 crore, 2021).
KKR’s biggest bids went to Sourav Ganguly in 2008, Gautam Gambhir (₹20.12 crore) in 2011, Mitchell Starc at ₹24.75 crore in 2024, and Venkatesh Iyer at ₹23.75 crore in 2025.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s key acquisitions were Adam Gilchrist (₹4.25 crore, 2008), David Warner (₹5.5 crore, 2014), and Pat Cummins at ₹20.5 crore in 2024.
The DC team’s heavies vary from Gautam Gambhir’s signing in 2008 to KL Rahul at ₹14 crore in 2025.
Since LSG is a relatively new team, they made a big investment in Rishabh Pant, who was their most expensive player at ₹27 crore in 2025.
GT, PBKS, and RR have also made some significant and expensive acquisitions, with PBKS’ Shreyas Iyer at ₹26.75 crore in 2025 and RR’s Chris Morris at ₹16.25 crore in 2021.
The recent pattern indicates a lively auction atmosphere where the focus has been on the all-rounders and the versatile players such as Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Mitchell Starc who are being valued more than ₹20 crore. Franchise strategies reflect a mix of investing in proven stars and emerging talent to build balanced squads for sustained IPL success.
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