Another IPL auction is upon us, with a plethora of all-star talent up for grabs for the highest bidder.
With 2021 seeing another record fee land atop the bidding war, this year could see Chris Morris' Rs 16.5 crore figure broken.
Across 14 auctions in IPL history, there have been both local and overseas stars landing at the top price, with 2022 likely to see more franchises break the bank.
Here's a list of the top-priced selections in the history of the Indian Premier League.
2008 - MS Dhoni (Rs 9.5 crore)
The Indian gloveman was the inaugural top-priced selection in the IPl, joining the Chennai Super Kings, who would end the season as runners up.
Dhoni recorded 414 runs from 16 innings to finish ninth on the league's leaderboard.
2009 - Kevin Pietersen & Andrew Flintoff (Rs 9.8 crore)
The English pair shared the top spot of the auction, with Pietersen and Flintoff joining Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings respectively.
Pietersen's Banglaore would reach the final of the tournament before falling to the Deccan Chargers by six runs.
Neither player landed among the best performing players of the season.
2010 - Shane Bond & Kieron Pollard (Rs 4.8 crore)
New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond was swooped on by the Kolkata Knight Riders, while finalists the Mumbai Indians landed Kieron Pollard for an equal figure of Rs 4.8 crore.
Mumbai would reach the final of the tournament, with Pollard taking 15 wickets from his 12 appearances with the Indians.
2011 - Gautam Gambhir (Rs 14.9 crore)
The Indian opener was bought for a stunning fee from the Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011 off the back of his stellar campaign in the recent World Cup.
While Kolkata and Gambhir were unable to impress that season, they would claim two titles in the next three years.
2012 - Ravindra Jadeja (Rs 12.8 crore)
The Chennai Super Kings were the big spenders of the fifth edition of the IPL, with Jadeja claiming the crown as the top earner in the auction.
Chennai would reach the final of the tournament before falling to Kolkata in the season decider.
2013 - Glenn Maxwell (Rs 6.3 crore)
Mumbai added the Australian big-hitter for a low price in the mini auction, which failed to be fruitful with Maxwell departing after one season with the Indians.
Maxwell would join the Kings XI Punjab the following year, which would see the Australian feature for three teams in as many years after originally joining Dehli in 2012.
2014 - Yuvraj Singh (Rs 14 crore)
Bangalore played a huge figure for Singh, who recorded 376 runs with the bat along with six wickets.
His Royal Challengers tenure was short-lived however, with Singh once again an in-demand name at the next auction.
2015 - Yuvraj Singh (Rs 16 crore)
Dehli broke the bank for Singh one year on from his move to Bangalore, with the Daredevils offering a new record fee for the highly-rated batsman.
Singh's stunning fee would remain the all-time record for a further six years.
2016 - Shane Watson (Rs 9.5 crore)
The Australian all-rounder was recruited by Bangalore for one season, with Watson claiming the third most wickets of the year with 20 scalps from his 16 innings.
Bangalore would reach the final before losing to Hyderbad by eight runs, with Watson joining Chennai the next season.
2017 - Ben Stokes (Rs 14.5 crore)
Stokes became the most expensive import in 2017, with Rising Pune Supergiants securing the all-rounder's services for a hefty fee.
The Englishman landed at 20th overall for runs scored with 316 from 11 innings, while also reaching the same mark for wickets, with 12 in as many games to claim Player of the Series.
2018 - Ben Stokes (Rs 12.5 crore)
Stokes would again be the most coveted name in the auction, joining the Rajasthan Royals.
The England star only amassed 196 runs with the bat and eight wickets with ball-in-hand.
2019 - Jaydev Unadkat and Varun Chakravarthy (Rs 8.4 crore)
Indian rookies Unadkat and Varun joined Rajasthan and Kolkata respectively in what was a stunning change of pace for the IPL auction.
Unadkat scored 224 runs in a strong year with the Royals, while Chakravarthy failed to impress.
2020 - Pat Cummins (Rs 15.5 crore)
The Australian fast bowler broke Stokes' record as the most expensive overseas player, joining Kolkata for a hefty fee.
The paceman recorded just the 12 wickets from his 14 spells in what was a below-par campaign for the top-priced signing.
2021 - Chris Morris (Rs 16.25 crore)
The South African became the most expensive player in IPL auction history in joining the Royals for over Rs 16 crore.
Morris recorded 15 wickets from his 11 innings with Rajasthan in what was a strong first year with the franchise.
