IPL: 5 costliest South African players in the history of IPL

The IPL auction is something that is often derided in certain quarters since it might look a bit hard on players who do not get bids but at the end of the day, it is a system that has worked perfectly over the past eleven years.

Although teams have often overpaid for players, the final winning bids are a reflection of the demand for the skills that a player brings to the table. South Africans have been a major part of the IPL ever since it started and many of those players have attracted monstrous bids from different franchises over the years.

Note: Only the players that have been bought at the auction have been considered for the list and not those retained before the auction.

Here is a look at 5 of the costliest Proteas in the IPL so far:

#5 Kagiso Rabada to Delhi Daredevils- $769,000 (approximately)

South Africa v Sri Lanka - 1st One Day International

When the South African pace prodigy made his debut in 2015 and took a hattrick in his debut ODI, there was little doubt that Kagiso Rabada was going to end up being one of the best fast bowlers in the world. He was not part of the auction process in 2016 but when he threw his hat into the ring in 2017, the fast bowler had grown a lot as a bowler.

Hence there was no surprise when Rabada’s name instigated a frenetic round of bidding. In the end, he was snapped up by Delhi Daredevils for 5 crores INR, which amounts to around $769,000 according to the latest exchange rates. Needless to say, he was retained by Delhi Daredevils ahead of the 2018 auctions and it seems he is going to be a player who will serve them well for many seasons to come.