IPL 2020: The Most Expensive 11 of the Tournament

MS Dhoni costing 15 Cr. to Captain the IPL 2020 most expensive 11 of the retained players. 

The Indian Premier League is more than just a tournament involving the best cricketers from across the globe. Apart from the on-field drama, the IPL Auction is one of the most exciting events the fans eagerly wait for. The entire process of player retention and players going under the hammer has a separate fan-base.

The auctions have also increased the competitiveness among the franchises. There is a race to not only sign the top-quality players for a hefty amount but also to retain the core players by giving them a hefty amount. 

On that note, we have compiled the most expensive 11 from the list of retained players for IPL 2020. As has been the case, the team follows the basic IPL rule of 7 Indian players and 4 Overseas cricketers, while also sticking to 4 batsmen, 1 wicket-keeper, 2 all-rounders and 4 bowlers.

OPENERS

Rohit Sharma (MI)- INR 15 Cr. | David Warner (SRH)- INR 12.5 Cr.

Retained as the first-choice options by their respective franchises, Rohit Sharma and David Warner are not just the most expensive openers in the current list of the players, but probably the all-time best openers in the IPL. 

Both these players are long-timers in the IPL with Rohit playing since 2008, while Warner since 2009. They are third and fourth on the list of most runs with Rohit at 4898 and Warner at 4706 runs.

Coincidentally, they bring the dimension of left-right combination to the scene, thus strengthening their opening duo. While these two haven’t played together, seeing these two open together would have been a sight to watch. For that, it would have costed only INR 27.5 Cr. to the franchises. 

Alternatives: KL Rahul – INR 11 Cr.

MIDDLE-ORDER

Virat Kohli (RCB)- INR 17 Cr. | Rishabh Pant (DC)- INR 15 Cr. | MS Dhoni (CSK) (C&WK)- INR 15 Cr.

Two-seasons ago, RCB retained Virat Kohli for a whopping amount of INR 17 Cr., making him the most expensive player in the history of IPL. If not for his success as a Captain, the leading run-scorer of the tournament, Virat Kohli deserves the amount for the player he is. 

The number 3 is synonymous to only two names in the IPL; Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli. While the former is an IPL legend, Virat Kohli’s consistency makes him a complete player for the number 3 slot. 

Following Virat Kohli is the young and dynamic, Rishabh Pant at number 4. While Pant, the International batsman is struggling for form currently, Pant, the IPL batsman has been among the best in the last few years. Having retained by Delhi Capitals for a whopping INR 15 Cr., he is fourth on the list of most expensive players. 

If we have to calculate the all-time MVP of the IPL, we should not look beyond MS Dhoni. “The Captain, the Wicket-keeper, the Batsman, the Finisher”, MS Dhoni is an all-in-one package that every team dreams of having in their squad. 

Retained for a whopping INR 15 Cr., MS Dhoni is not just the finisher, he is also the Captain of the most expensive 11 of IPL 2020. We can see some Rohit Sharma fans in anguish, but to be honest, even Rohit Sharma would have made MS Dhoni as the Captain of this side. 

Alternatives: AB De Villiers (INR 11 Cr.), Steve Smith (INR 12.5 Cr.), Manish Pandey (INR 11 Cr.)

ALL-ROUNDERS

Ben Stokes (RR)- INR 12.5 Cr. | Hardik Pandya (MI)- INR 11 Cr.

Having debuted in IPL 2015, Hardik Pandya’s rise in the Cricketing arena is nothing short of inspiration. His initial two years were a struggle where he could only manage 156 runs from 20 innings. But, 2017 saw the emergence of Hardik Pandya, and since then, he has never looked back. 

Having retained for a whopping INR 11 Cr., Hardik Pandya is the second-most expensive all-rounder of the tournament. Forget his expensive tag, Teams would pay even more to have Hardik Pandya in the squad for the true 3-Dimension he brings in. 

Ben Stokes, on the other hand, have had a sinusoidal wave type of performance. He debuted in 2017, and was named as the player of the tournament. However, 2018 and 2019 saw Ben Stokes’ Performance taking a dip as he failed in both the departments. 

Nevertheless, Ben Stokes of 2019 is a different beast all-together having helped England win their first every 50-overs World Cup, and having given Australia a run for their money in the Ashes. 

Alternatives: Krunal Pandya (INR 8.8 Cr.) and Andre Russell (INR 8.5 Cr.)

SPINNERS: 

Sunil Narine (KKR)- INR 12.5 Cr. | Rashid Khan (SRH)- INR 9 Cr. 

Unlike the batsmen and the all-rounders, teams tend to be slightly miser when it comes to the bowlers. The trend though has been shifting as we are now seeing at least one or two bowlers coming out with a heft contract every season.

The retained spin duo, Sunil Narine and Rashid Khan are not just the most expensive spinners currently, but also the best spinners to have played in the IPL. While Narine is an all-time best spinner in the IPL, Rashid Khan is currently also the best spinner in the world. 

Both these bowlers have a mystery element attached to them, which often confuses the batsmen. The spinners are also known for their pinch-hitting skills, making them decent bowling all-rounders too.

Alternatives: Ravichandran Ashwin (INR 7.6 Cr.)

PACERS: 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (SRH)- INR 8.5 Cr. | Jasprit Bumrah (MI) – INR 7 Cr. 

While the most expensive player, Virat Kohli earns a whooping 17 Cr. for his services, the most expensive retained Pacer in the IPL, Bhuvneshwar Kumar earns only half of that amount. 

It is pity how T20 is purely looked at a batsman’s game when in fact tournaments are mostly won by teams having a strong bowling unit. Nevertheless, the most expensive pacers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah also tend to be Team India’s best limited-overs pacers. 

Both, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah bring in a unique set of attributes to the table. While Bhuvi, the master of swing, is a wicket-taker at the start, Bumrah is World’s best death-overs bowler. Surprisingly, teams would have spent only INR 15.5 to acquire the services of these two pacers. 

Alternatives: Jofra Archer (INR 7.2 Cr.)

So, that completes the most expensive 11 from the list of retained players for IPL 2020. Had there not been the 4 overseas players rule, Jofra Archer would have made the cut for Jasprit Bumrah. 

IPL 2020 Most Expensive 11 of Retained Players: 

Rohit Sharma, David Warner, Virat Kohli, Rishabh Pant, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (C&WK), Hardik Pandya, Sunil Narine, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Jasprit Bumrah. 

ALSO READ: IPL 2020: Final list of retained players of all the Teams before the Auction

© AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics

Adesh Kothari

Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.

Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.

Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.