Royal Challengers Bangalore may not have won an IPL Trophy yet, but they sure have won hearts. With a massive and loyal fan base cheering for them in Red and Gold each year, they have put on some of the most cherished moments in the history of the Indian Premier League. One of the most famous franchises, RCB has purchased some of the most expensive players to complete their ever star-studded squad. But who are the most expensive among them? To answer this question, here are the six most expensive players bought by RCB in the history of IPL.
Most expensive players bought by RCB:
#6 Chris Morris – ₹10 crores:
After three disappointing IPL seasons in 2017, 2018, and 2019, Royal Challengers Bangalore decided to take both their management and their squad a bit. With the arrival of their new coach Simon Katich and the Director of Cricket Operations, Mike Hesson, they tried to fill the holes in the team.
RCB lacked a foreign pacer and lower order finisher after Marcus Stoinis’s departure. RCB found Chris Morris to be the perfect replacement for him. So, they acquired him at the 2020 IPL for ₹10 crores, making him the sixth most expensive player RCB ever bought. Morris proved to be a decent investment as he took 11 wickets with a bowling average of 19.09 and an economy rate of just 6.63.
#5 Dinesh Karthik – ₹10.5 crores:
RCB discarded Parthiv Patel ahead of IPL 2015 and thus needed a wicketkeeper for the approaching season. They filled this void by acquiring Dinesh Karthik for ₹10.5 crores. Interestingly, RCB bought Karthik from Delhi Daredevils, who had acquired him for a whopping ₹12.5 crores at the auction a year before.
Karthik proved to be a complete disappointment for the Royal Challengers as he averaged only 12.81 at the end of the 2015 edition of IPL. With a high score of just 28 and a strike rate of 120.51, Karthik scored only 141 runs from 16 matches and was thus dropped from the squad next season.
#4 Tymal mills – ₹12 crores:
A foreign pacer has always been an issue for the Royal Challengers, so was the case in 2017. They retained Mitchell Starc, but he pulled out prior to the tournament, vacating that spot again. To fill the void created by his departure, RCB signed Tymal Mills for a whopping ₹12 crores to replace Starc.
Mills had performed well in various T20 leagues around the world. He also had a decent debut for England against India. However, he didn’t do justice to the amount RCB paid him and ended the 2017 season with just five wickets from five matches. In this brief IPL career, he averaged more than 30 and got thrashed at 8.57 runs per over.
#3 Yuvraj Singh – ₹14 crores:
Yuvraj Singh was always a popular name in T20 during his active years. However, IPL 2013 proved to be a setback for the left-hander. He averaged only 19.83 without a single half-century throughout that season. His strike rate also dipped as low as 125.26, and he couldn’t even surpass a 34 run mark in as many as 13 matches.
Despite this disappointing performance, RCB put their trust in the Indian superstar. They acquired him for ₹14 crores ahead of IPL 2015. Yuvraj rewarded their trust with his satisfactory performance. He played a few match-winning knocks in what was an unsuccessful season for the franchise. Yuvraj was acquired by Delhi Daredevils the following year for a whopping ₹16 crores.
#2 Glenn Maxwell – ₹14.25 crores:
RCB’s over dependency on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers hurt them hard after the departure of the mighty Chris Gayle. It became worse when KL Rahul got left off. The inclusion of Aaron Finch at the top order in 2020 didn’t help much as well. However, when Kings XI Punjab dumped Glenn Maxwell ahead of the 2021 auction, RCB knew that he was the man for the job.
RCB emptied their pockets to acquire the Australian all-rounder, who also had shown the desire to don the Red and Gold. They spent ₹10.25 crores for his services in the 14th edition of IPL. So far, Maxwell has proven to be a huge asset in RCB’s dominant run till IPL 2021’s suspension. Hopefully, his contributions might help RCB claim their maiden IPL title.
#1 Kyle Jamieson – ₹15 crores:
Foreign pacers were the centre of attention during the IPL 2021 auction. With high demand, franchises were willing to spend large sums to acquire a decent pacer. But Royal Challengers knew what they wanted, and they didn’t back down from spending their highest amount ever in IPL Auctions to sign Kyle Jamieson. They acquired him for ₹15 crores, making him the most expensive player RCB bought in the history of IPL.
Jamieson had given decent performances in the seven matches that RCB played till the suspension of IPL 2021. He had batted with a strike rate of 143.9 and taken nine wickets at a bowling average of 24.55. With IPL set to resume in September in the UAE, only time will tell if he is able to cement his place in the Red, Black, and Gold or not.
