1. Varun Chakravarthy - Rs 8.4 crore
The Tamil Nadu mystery spinner had a good TNPL 2018 for Madurai Panthers but even considering that the intense bidding for him by the franchises came as a massive surprise. The deal was finally sealed by Kings XI Punjab for Rs 8.4 crore, the second most for an uncapped player in the IPL history. But he played just one match for Kings XI and was released earlier this month.
2. Pawan Negi - Rs 8.5 crore
Negi made his IPL debut for Chennai Super Kings and impressed with some tidy performances - hard-hitting with the ball and economical with the ball. Negi came up for auction in 2016 after Chennai was suspended and Delhi Daredevils went all out for him, buying him for Rs 8.5 crore. But Negi was a huge flop - in 8 matches he scored just 57 runs and picked up only a wicket.
3. Krunal Pandya - Rs 8.8 crore
Krunal, brother of Hardik, commanded the highest money for an uncapped player in the auction before IPL 2018. Initially, Krunal was bought for Rs 2 crore, over his base price of Rs 10 lakh, by Mumbai Indians, in 2016 and then he was put back to auction two years later. There was massive bidding for him between Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad but MI bought him for Rs 8.8 crore using the Right to Match card. Krunal made his India debut in November 2018.
4. Jofra Archer - Rs 7.2 crore
The world first saw the skills of Archer while playing for Sussex Sharks in the Vitality Blast T20. Subsequently, the pacer impressed in the Bangladesh Premier League and in the Big Bash League. Rajasthan Royals made intense bidding for him and acquired him for a royal price too.
5. Ishan Kishan - Rs 6.2 crore
Kishan had an impressive time for Gujarat Lions after he was picked up for Rs 35 lakh in 2016. The left-handed wicketkeeper batsman is a clean striker of the ball and the quality did not go unnoticed. There was a three-way battle for Kishan in the 2018 auction between Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings. Finally, Mumbai secured his services for Rs 6.2 crore.
6. Shivam Dube - Rs 5 crore
Dube had a good Ranji Trophy season for Maharashtra in 2018, scoring upwards of 450 runs and picking up 17 wickets. So, it was quite expected more than one team will bid for him but the big price tag was not expected. Royal Challengers Bangalore stopped the hammer at a whopping Rs 5 crore. He was retained by RCB and has also made his India debut during the T20Is against Bangladesh.