The Costliest Players in T20 Cricket Leagues Worldwide

(A picture of the IPL 2024 Auction)

The T20 Leagues are among the most popular formats of the game all over the world, as every ball brings excitement among the fans. But there is another game which is played off the field, which is the money game in the T20 Leagues. There are several T20 Leagues all across the world, and the fans have seen various jaw-dropping deals made by the teams to have the best players play for them. These players are not just players for the team that bought them; they are million-dollar assets that come with a good price tag. From the Indian Premier League (IPL) to the Big Bash League (BBL), the teams have commanded good prices to acquire the best players for their upcoming season. These players are made valuable due to their aggressive batting, lethal bowling, or unmatched skills in fielding. Let's have a look at the costliest players across various T20 Leagues in the world.

1. Mitchell Starc (IPL)

The costliest player in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the fast-paced bowler of Australia, Mitchell Starc. Known for his impressive bowling skills, Starc has dominated the tournament for a long time. For the IPL 2024 season, Mitchell Starc, who announced his comeback in the IPL after 9 years, was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2024 auction for a whopping price of 24.75 crore Indian rupees (approximately 29.6 million US dollars). It took a few minutes for Mitchell Starc to break the record of Australian captain Pat Cummins, who was sold for 20 crore Indian rupees to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

(Mitchell Starc bowling for KKR in IPL 2024)

Mitchell Starc played two IPL seasons before the 2024 edition, which were for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. In the 2014 and 2015 IPL seasons, Mitchell Starc was able to secure 34 wickets in 27 matches, having an economy rate of less than 7 runs per over. Unfortunately, Starc has not been economical for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2024 season so far, having an economy of more than 10 runs in an over. He will be looking forward to making a comeback in the T20 format, which could help him to improve his performance for Australia in the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be followed by the conclusion of the Indian Premier League 2024 season.

2. D'Arcy Short (BBL)

The left-handed opening batsman for the Adelaide Strikers is the highest-paid player in the history of the Big Bash League. He is paid approximately 260 thousand Australian dollars (approximately 1.40 crore Indian rupees) for every BBL season. Earlier, he was a part of the Hobart Hurricanes from the BBL 2016-17 season till the BBL 2022-23 season. He has been a dominant batsman, having a high score of 122 runs in just 69 balls, which he scored in the 2017-18 BBL season against the Brisbane Heat. His ruthless batting style allowed him to be among the top run scorers in various Big Bash League editions, due to which he was also the Player of the tournament during the 2017-18 season.

(D’Arcy Short’s knock helps Adelaide Strikers to defeat Sydney Thunder)

In his Big Bash League career, D'Arcy Short has scored 2950 runs across 93 innings at an average of 35.12 runs per inning. He also holds a strike rate of 131.23, along with 22 half-centuries and 2 centuries. Short has also dominated with the bowl, taking 34 wickets in 63 innings at an economy of 8.63 runs per over, which even includes a five-wicket haul. Unfortunately, he was not able to perform well in the BBL 2023-24 season. D'Arcy Short scored 244 runs in 11 matches with two half-centuries and went wicketless throughout the tournament with an economy rate of 12 runs per over.

3. Babar Azam (PSL)

Babar Azam, the captain of the Pakistan Cricket team across the white ball format, is the costliest player in the history of the Pakistan Super League. He plays for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League and is paid approximately 170 thousand US dollars or 1.4 crore Indian rupees per season. He played the first Pakistan Super League season for Islamabad United and was transferred to the Karachi Kings in the next season. In the 2017 edition, Babar Azam became the second-highest run-scorer of the season, scoring 291 runs for the team at an impressive average of 32.33 runs per inning.

(Babar Azam scoring a century for Peshawar Zalmi)

Babar Azam has been the most consistent performer in the Pakistan Super League, being among the top run scorers in almost every season. He held third place as the top run scorer for the 2018 season and was the highest run scorer for the team in the PSL 2020 edition. His performances in the Qualifier and Finals were impressive, which helped Babar Azam to be the Player of the Match in both games. For the PSL 2023 edition, Babar Azam was traded to Peshawar Zalmi by Karachi Kings, and he also became the team's captain. His performance in the 2024 PSL edition was astonishing, as Babar Azam scored 569 runs for the team at an average of 56.90 runs in 11 matches.

4. Tamim Iqbal (BPL)

Tamim Iqbal is the costliest player in the Bangladesh Premier League; he represents the team Fortune Barishal in the tournament. He was bought by the team for the amount of 70 lakh Bangladeshi Taka (approximately 53 lakh Indian rupees) for the season. When Tamim played his first season in the BPL 2012 edition, he was able to score only 8 runs in two innings. However, he was announced as the captain for Duronto Rajshahi in the BPL 2013 edition, where he scored a total of 244 runs in 9 matches with three half-centuries.

(Tamim Iqbal batting for Fortune Barishal in the BPL 2024 season)

He also became the first player in the history of the Bangladesh Premier League to score 2000 runs. His impressive batting skills and ability to be an opening batsman have helped Tamim Iqbal achieve various records in the T20 format. For several seasons, Tamim Iqbal has been the top run scorer for his respective teams. Even in the 2024 BPL edition, Tamim Iqbal was the top run scorer of the tournament while representing Fortune Barishal. He scored 492 runs for the team in 15 matches, including three half-centuries. At a strike rate of 127.13, Tamim Iqbal showed that the pitch conditions didn't affect his batting style.

5. Rashid Khan (CPL)

Rashid Khan, being one of the greatest spinners of the decade, is also the costliest player in the history of the Caribbean Premier League. He was bought by Barbados Tridents in the tournament for the highest price of approximately 81.56 lakh Indian rupees, and he showed his impressive and economical bowling skills for the team led by Jason Holder. He was first a part of Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL, where he dominated in his first-ever CPL season, taking a hat-trick for the team. Rashid Khan also became the first bowler in the tournament history to take a hat-trick.

(Rashid Khan after his 300th T20 wicket in the CPL)

During the 2020 edition of the Caribbean Premier League, Rashid Khan took 11 wickets for the team across 10 games at an average of 22.63. He was also an economical asset to the team's bowling lineup, with an impressive economy rate of 6.85 runs per over. It has been time since Rashid Khan appeared in the Caribbean Premier League, but the fans expect him to perform again for the Barbados Royals in the upcoming season.