It seems a long time ago now since Kevin Pietersen had to rail against the England and Wales Cricket Board in frustration at not being released to play in the IPL. Now, English players are the most sought after of any country when it comes to being recruited to IPL franchises. According to research of every deal dating back to the 2013 auction, English players command an average price of $490,892 to play in the competition. Of all players who have been signed more than once at auction, England allrounder Ben Stokes is the most expensive, with an average value of $1.8 million. There have been 39 signings since 2013 of English players with 21 players bought in total for a total of $19,144,776, according to the study by Cricket Bet India. More Australian players have been signed than any other country, but the stars of England and Afghanistan have generally earned a higher salary. Ahead of the new season starting this month, we take a look at the value of players by country in the IPL. <strong>Total price of players:</strong> $19.1 million <strong>Average price:</strong> $490,892 Much to the annoyance of Kevin Pietersen, the powers-that-be in England used to be sceptical about releasing their players for the IPL. Now their leading lights are the most prized in the competition, with Ben Stokes chief among them. <strong>Total price: </strong>$2.7m <strong>Average price:</strong> $450,081 Afghanistan’s rise in cricket over the past two decades has been remarkable on any measure. It is also startling that players like Rashid Khan – who is their most expensive – Mohammed Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have become such highly-valued IPL stars. <strong>Total price: </strong>$43.5m <strong>Average price: </strong>$426,490 Australia has been the most frequently mined country for overseas players by IPL franchises. The total cost of Australian players is more than double the next largest, that of England. Pat Cummins was the most expensive, ahead of the 2020 season. <strong>Total price:</strong> $14.4m <strong>Average price: </strong>$361,011 Greats like Dale Steyn, Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis have all featured in the IPL, but it is Chris Morris who is the most high-value South African in IPL history. <strong>Total price: </strong>$3.7m <strong>Average price:</strong> $305,454 Lasith Malinga is the leading IPL wicket-taker, but apart from him, relatively few Sri Lankans have made a major impact on the competition. Angelo Mathews was their costliest player. <strong>Total price:</strong> $11.6m <strong>Average price:</strong> $297,167 Chris Gayle might be arguably the biggest overseas star in the IPL, but Sheldon Cottrell is the biggest signing yet from the Caribbean. His lone season in the competition – the lockdown event in UAE last season – was a tough one, though. <strong>Total price:</strong> $1.7m <strong>Average price: </strong>$286,353 Shakib Al Hasan will be back in harness at Kolkata Knight Riders this season. The left-handed allrounder has been Bangladesh’s most successful – and pricey – export to the IPL. <strong>Total price: </strong>$9.2m <strong>Average price:</strong> $271,350 Brendon McCullum was central to launching the IPL with that remarkable opening-night century for Kolkata back in 2008. Thirteen years later, Kyle Jamieson will become the highest-priced New Zealander to feature in the event. <strong>Total price: </strong>$96.8m <strong>Average price:</strong> $199,950 For all the money lavished on the likes of Yuvraj Singh and the other world stars, the average price of Indian players is diluted by the costs of recruiting lesser known squad players. <strong>Total price:</strong> $136,364 <strong>Average price: </strong>$136,364 Ryan ten Doeschate is a well-travelled franchise cricket star, despite representing a country which is beyond the Test elite. The allrounder played for Kolkata between 2011 and 2015. <strong>Total price: </strong>$40,904 <strong>Average price:</strong> $40,904 Brendan Taylor was so sure he would not be picked to play in the IPL in 2014 that he arranged his wedding for when the tournament was on. His honeymoon plans were altered, though, when Sunrisers Hyderabad signed him up to play. <strong>Total price: </strong>$27,273 <strong>Average price: </strong>$27,273 Sandeep Lamichhane was in Dubai for a training camp with the Nepal national team when he discovered he had been drafted to Delhi Daredevils for the 2018 IPL. He remains the lone Nepal player to feature so far.
