Indian Premier League (IPL) Auction 2018 has finally come to an end, and how has it! With eight franchises - Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Mumbai Indians (MI), Delhi Daredevils (DD), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – splurging over Rs. 425 crores in a span of two days. A pool of 578 players was in the fray where only 169 players were auctioned in the VIVO IPL Auction 2018.

Many players who weren’t tipped off to earn 2x or 3x of their base price earned huge amount of money. We take a look at the list of players who earned the highest amount at the cash-rich Indian Premier League.

1. Ben Stokes - Rajasthan Royals

Sold to Rajasthan Royals on Day 1, Ben Stokes is now the highest-paid player in the IPL auction 2018. Known to be conservative spenders, the Shilpa Shetty-owned franchise went full throttle to acquire services of the English all-rounder. After initial bidding from Kolkata Knight Riders, Chennai Super Kings, and Kings XI Punjab, it was Rajasthan Royals who bought Stokes eventually.

2. Jaydev Unadkat - Rajasthan Royals

One of the top highlights on Day 2, Jaydev Undakat came in the IPL Auction at the time when teams were needing to stock-up their Indian bowling options. With a stellar performance in the IPL 2017 and a decent performance against Sri Lanka lately, Unadkat’s bidding escalated quite quickly. Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab were the initial bidders with Chennai Super Kings joining the bid later. The price shot up to Rs. 11 Cr. in no time, before Rajasthan Royals, joined the bid and made a steal by bidding 11.5 Cr.

3. Manish Pandey - Sunrisers Hyderabad

Out of the eight franchises, Sunrisers Hyderabad seems to have had the most satisfying buys in this IPL auction. The explosive middle-order batsman was one of the most sought players as Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Sunrisers Hyderabad were all after his batting qualities. Eventually, the former KKR player was bought by Sunrisers Hyderabad for a whopping Rs. 11 Cr.

4. KL Rahul - Sunrisers Hyderabad

KL Rahul would have been the joint highest-paid Indian player, with Manish Pandey, had it not been for Jaydev Unadkat. Often used as a floater in whichever team he has played, Rahul has got lesser chances than anybody to showcase his talent as an opener. Kings XI Punjab, who have had bleak opening resources in the previous versions of IPL, chose to select Rahul this time. After Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, and Sunrisers Hyderabad made an early bid, It was Kings XI Punjab who eventually bagged the services of the explosive opener for 11 Cr.

5. Chris Lynn - Kolkata Knight Riders

The hard-hitting Australian batsman was tipped off to be one of the highest-paid players in this auction. The T20 specialist saw interest from Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Daredevils, and Royal Challengers Bangalore were all in the fray as his auction price went sky-high, before Kolkata Knight Riders being a late entrant swooped their former player at the price tag of Rs. 9.60 Cr.

6. Mitchell Starc - Kolkata Knight Riders

One of the most destructive bowler in recent times, Mitchell Starc is only the second bowler in the batsmen-dominated list. Known for his accuracy, pace, and insane swing, the former RCB player saw a new buyer in Kolkata Knight Riders. Known as a home for fast bowlers in the previous editions, Kolkata Knight Riders, have chosen to bank on Mitchell Starc this year. Other than KKR, only Royal Challengers Bangalore were in the race for the fiery fast bowler. Ultimately, KKR acquired Starc’s serviced for Rs. 9.40 Cr.

7. Glenn Maxwell - Delhi Daredevils

Another Australian on the list, Glen Maxwell have been hit-and-miss in the previous editions of IPL. Known for his batting prowess, the dynamic T20 specialist can take away the game from the opposition in a blink of an eye. There was a slight hesitance initially when Maxwell’s came up in the auction. However, soon Rajasthan Royals, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi Daredevils and Sunrisers Hyderabad entered bidding frame. There was an aggressive price-bid between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Daredevils before the Delhi-franchise made the winning bid of Rs. 9Cr.

The IPL Auction 2018 had its moments and a lot of them were quite surprising. One of the highlights of the auction was Chris Gayle being bought by Kings XI Punjab at his base price when the hammer was about to be put down. Players who have rocked the previous seasons of IPL – James Faulkner, Shaun Marsh, Dwayne Smith, Lasith Malinga, Ishant Sharma, Irfan Pathan – didn’t find any buyers.

Now with all the excitement done and dusted, all eyes will be on the players' performances. The real action begins on April 7th as Indian Premier League 2018 will see Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings locking horns at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Stay tuned for more such updates on Indian Premier League 2018 here.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 29, 2018 12:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).