Money talks and nothing speaks as loudly as the riches offered by the Indian Premier League.

A total of 10 teams provide the best cricketers in the world – apart from those of Pakistan, unfortunately – a chance to not only play in the most competitive tournament in the world but also take home some of the biggest cheques in professional sport for what is a two-month tournament.

This year’s tournament has already broken a number of records months before the 2023 season kicks off in April.

England all-rounder Sam Curran emerged as the most expensive player in the history of the tournament as he was picked up by Punjab Kings for an eye-watering bid of 185 million Indian rupees ($2.26 million) following a fierce bidding war with Chennai Super Kings.

Curran has become a high-profile white-ball player after his tournament-winning effort in the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.

Fellow England star all-rounder Ben Stokes, young batsman Harry Brook and Australia’s Cameroon Green were some of the other players to hit the jackpot during the player auction last month.

Top 20 highest paid cricketers in IPL 2023

1. Sam Curran (Punjab Kings): 185 million rupees (approximately $2.26m)

2. Cameron Green (Mumbai Indians): 175m rupees ($2.14m)

3. KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants): 170m rupees ($2m)

4. Ben Stokes (Chennai Super Kings): 162.5m rupees ($1.98m)

5. Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants): 160m rupees ($1.95m)

6. Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings): 160m rupees ($1.95m)

7. Rishabh Pant* (Delhi Capitals): 160m rupees ($1.95m)

8. Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders): 160m rupees ($1.95m)

9. Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians): 160m rupees ($1.95m)

10. Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians): 152.5m rupees ($1.86m)

11. Hardik Pandya (Gujarat Titans): 150m rupees ($1.8m)

12. Rashid Khan (Gujarat Titans): 150m rupees ($1.8m)

13. Virat Kohli (Royal Challengers): 150m rupees ($1.8m)

14. Sanju Samson (Rajasthan Royals): 140m rupees ($1.7m)

15. Deepak Chahar (Chennai Super Kings): 140m rupees ($1.7m)

16. Harry Brook (Sunrisers Hyderabad): 132.5m rupees ($1.6m)

17. Shreyas Iyer ** (Kolkata Knight Riders): 122.5m rupees ($1.5m)

18. Varun Chakravarthy (Kolkata Knight Riders): 120m rupees ($1.45m)

19. Jasprit Bumrah* (Mumbai Indians): 120m rupees ($1.45m)

20. Axar Patel (Delhi Capitals): 120m rupees ($1.45m)