PBKS Most Expensive Player in IPL History

Punjab Kings is one of the Indian Premier League‘s oldest franchises. But their records are not that encouraging. PBKS has also qualified for the playoffs twice in 15 seasons. They last played in the IPL final in 2014, and they haven’t finished in the top four in any of the last eight seasons.

But despite its lack of success in the league, this team is known for spending a lot of money at the auction table. The franchise has tried everything to get a player over the years. As a result, two of the top four biggest IPL purchases have come from Punjab Kings. They recently broke all records when they spent a staggering INR 18.5 crore on Sam Curran in the 2023 IPL auction. So let’s take a look at some of the other big purchases made by franchises in this league. 

PBKS Most Expensive Player in IPL History

5. Liam Livingstone – INR 11.5 Crore in 2022

One of the biggest names in modern-day T20 cricket, Liam Livingstone joined the IPL in 2019, but he didn’t get many chances in 2019 and 2021 (not a player in 2020) for RR. But later, he was picked by the Punjab Kings in the 2022 auction for a whopping price of INR 11.5 crore to become their fourth-highest purchase. Livingstone played 14 games in 2022 and scored 437 runs at 36.42 and a brilliant strike rate of 182.08 with four half-centuries. He also took six wickets with that.

4. Mayank Agarwal – INR 12 Crore in 2022

Former PBKS skipper Mayank Agarwal charged the fourth-highest fee for one season from the franchise. Agarwal was part of the Punjab team from 2018 to 2022, and he was given the captaincy duties permanently in the 2022 season. But team’s bad performance and his individual form made the franchise to release him. He was paid an amount of INR 12 crore for 2022. Agarwal scored just 196 runs in 12 innings that season.

3. David Miller – INR 12.5 Crore in 2014

Veteran South African David Miller was part of the Punjab franchise for nine seasons since his debut in 2011. He played a total of 84 games for them and scored 1974 runs at an average and strike rate of 35.25 and 139.40, with one century and nine half-centuries. He was getting paid an amount of INR 12.5 crore per season from 2014 to 2017. Miller was released in 2020 by the Punjab franchise.

2. Jhye Richardson – INR 14 Crore in 2021

There have been times when the IPL franchises have spent more than the actual amount on a player in order to buy him. That’s what happened in the 2021 season when Punjab Kings spent a whopping INR 14 crore on Australian pacer Jhye Richardson. And that move totally went against them as the pacer couldn’t play in the entire season. He played only three games and took three wickets at a poor economy rate of 10.63.

1. Sam Curran – INR 18.5 Crore in 2023

The IPL auction 2023 saw some record-breaking purchases made ever in the history of the IPL. However, the biggest purchase was made by the Punjab Kings in that event. They acquired the English all-rounder Sam Curran for a price of INR 18.5 crore. He became the highest-paid cricketer ever in the league. Curran made his IPL debut in 2019 for PBKS and played nine games. He took 10 wickets and scored 95 runs at a strike rate of 172.72.

Season-wise PBKS Most Expensive Player in IPL History