The first player to be auctioned in IPL history was MS Dhoni in the 2008 IPL auction. However, the first player to go under the hammer was Shane Warne.
During the auction:
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Shane Warne was the first player whose name was announced, but he went unsold initially.
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MS Dhoni was later bought by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for $1.5 million, making him the most expensive player of the inaugural auction.
Dhoni’s signing proved to be historic, as he went on to lead CSK to multiple IPL titles and became one of the league’s most iconic players.