5 IPL auction picks that turned into masterstrokes
What's the story
The Indian Premier League (IPL) has always been a platform for franchises to showcase their talent and strategy. The auction event ahead of every season also holds great significance, with teams making some bold moves that would later prove to be game-changers. On this note, we take a look at five players who were picked in the auction and went on to become stars for their franchises.
#1
Rohit Sharma
Batting talisman Rohit Sharma was bought by Mumbai Indians for approximately ₹9.2 crore ahead of the 2011 IPL auction.
As he was not a Team India regular back then, questions were raised over MI's heavy investment.
However, Rohit silenced his critics in style. He led from the front and captained his team to five IPL titles.
Under his leadership, MI tasted glory in 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2020.
He is also MI's all-time leading run-getter with over 6,000 runs.
#2
Andre Russell
Kolkata Knight Riders bought Andre Russell for his base price of ₹60 lakh at the 2014 IPL auction.
The move paid massive dividends as Russell bowed out as one of the best all-rounders in the league's history.
He served the franchise for 12 seasons, scoring 2,593 runs at a staggering strike rate of 174.96.
Russell is also one of only two players with 100-plus wickets (122) for KKR.
#3
Kieron Pollard
As per Cricinfo, Kieron Pollard had a batting average of 11.30 from 15 ODIs and 17.20 from 10 T20Is when he became the joint-biggest buy at the 2010 auction event.
Mumbai Indians splashed approximately ₹3.42 crore (plus an undisclosed amount to break a tie with three other franchises) to bag his services.
This was another master stroke by the franchise as Pollard went on to become T20 cricket's greatest finisher.
He played 189 matches for the franchise, scoring 3,412 runs at a strike rate of 147.32.
#4
Mohit Sharma
Mohit Sharma's resurgence was one of the stories of the 2023 IPL.
The right-arm pacer, who had last played in IPL in 2020, was sold to Gujarat Titans for his base price of ₹50 lakh.
The veteran turned out to be a formidable force in death overs and played an instrumental role in taking GT to the final.
With 27 scalps in 14 games, he ended as the season's second-highest wicket-taker.
#5
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
Rajasthan Royals made headlines at the 2025 IPL mega auction by signing 13-year-old prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi for ₹1.1 crore.
It was indeed a master stroke as the southpaw announced himself with a 35-ball century against a strong Gujarat Titans attack.
The Rajasthan Royals sensation further won the Orange Cap in IPL 2026, having tallied an impressive 776 runs in 16 matches while striking at 237.30.
Aged 15 years and 99 days, Sooryavanshi became the youngest Indian debutant earlier this year.