Most expensive spinner in IPL history

The Indian Premier League (IPL) has produced several exceptional talents in its rich 19-year history. While T20 cricket is often called a batter’s game, with teams breaking the bank for numerous big hitters, a few spinners have also managed to grab attention.

The ability to deceive the batters with variations and help the team get crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs has often been rewarded heavily at the IPL auctions. Here are the top three most expensive spinners in the history of the IPL auction:

3. Rashid Khan (9 crore by SRH, 2018)

After a brilliant debut season in 2017, Rashid was a hot commodity at the IPL 2018 auction. Both Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Mumbai Indians (MI) were keen to have him in their squad as the two teams got involved in an intense bidding war.

In no time, Rashid Khan's price went from INR 2 crore to 9 crore as Punjab almost sealed the deal before Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) used their Right to Match (RTM) card to sign the Afghan wrist spinner.

2. Noor Ahmad (10 crore by CSK, 2025)

Dubbed as Rashid Khan’s successor in the Afghanistan cricket team, Noor Ahmad had a brilliant debut season in the IPL 2023, scalping 16 wickets from 13 matches. He was on the radar of all teams during the mega auction for the 2025 edition of the tournament as both Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were keen to have him on their teams.

After CSK had no competitors for him at INR 5 Crore, Gujarat Titans (GT) used their Right to Match (RTM) card to retain him. However, CSK further increased their bid to INR 10 crore and managed to acquire Ahmad's services.

1. Yuzvendra Chahal (18 crore by PBKS, 2025)

The top spot is unsurprisingly taken by the leading wicket-taker of the IPL. Yuzvendra Chahal had already established himself as the most successful bowler in the tournament’s history ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. Expectedly, Chahal was a much sought-after player during the bidding event, with Punjab Kings (PBKS), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) all eager to have him in their teams.

He was eventually sold to PBKS for a whopping INR 18 Crore, making him the most expensive spinner in the tournament's history.