The Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to witness its nineteenth edition, the IPL 2026 season, which will kick-start on 28 March 2026 and will witness its final showdown on 31 May 2026. Often hailed as one of the most popular, prominent and prestigious cricket tournaments in the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is followed by millions of cricket aficionados from every nook and corner of the world.
Widely regarded as the world’s richest cricket tournament in the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has been nothing short of a launchpad for numerous legendary and trailblazing cricketers who have earned enormous fame and recognition on a global level for their successful exploits on the field. While the Indian Premier League (IPL) has majorly highlighted the dominance of batting, it has also garnered immense limelight for numerous legendary bowlers over the past few decades. Have you ever wondered about the top four most expensive bowlers of the IPL 2026 edition? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four most expensive bowlers of the upcoming IPL 2026 edition.
IPL 2026 : Top 4 Most Expensive Bowlers
-
Matheesha Pathirana
The legendary 23-year-old Sri Lankan international cricketer Matheesha Pathirana is at the first spot in our list of the top four most expensive bowlers of the upcoming IPL 2026 edition. Often popularly referred to as “Baby Maling” by his hardcore fans, Matheesha Pathirana has been a mainstay of the Sri Lankan national cricket team since 2022 and made his star-studded IPL debut in the same year for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise picking up a wicket on his first delivery.
Owing to his unmatched bowling dominance, Matheesha Pathirana has been acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for a staggering INR 18 crore, making him the most expensive bowler of the nineteenth edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). As of March 2026, Matheesha Pathirana has played a record total of 32 IPL matches and has picked up a phenomenal total of 57 wickets at an economy rate of 8.68, establishing himself as one of the most successful bowlers in the history of the league.
-
Prashant Veer
At the second spot on our list of the top four most expensive bowlers of the upcoming IPL 2026 edition, we have the 20-year-old iconic Indian professional cricketer Prashant Veer, who represents the Uttar Pradesh cricket team and is often regarded as one of the most sensational spinners in the history of domestic cricket. The legendary Indian bowler made his Twenty20 debut for Uttar Pradesh against Tamil Nadu on 17 October 2023 and has been unstoppable ever since.
After dominating the arena of domestic cricket for almost four years, Prashant Veer is also set to leave his formidable impact on the Indian Premier League (IPL) with its upcoming edition. The trailblazing Indian bowler Prashant Veer has been acquired by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise for a whopping INR 14.20 crore making him the second most expensive bowler of the upcoming IPL edition.
-
Kartik Sharma
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four most expensive bowlers of the upcoming IPL 2026 edition we have another iconic Indian professional cricketer, Kartik Sharma, who currently represents Rajasthan in domestic cricket. Kartik Sharma made his star-studded first class and Twenty20 debut for Rajasthan in November 2025 and has proven to be unstoppable ever since.
After delivering back-to-back path-breaking performances in numerous prestigious tournaments, including the Vijay Hazare Trophy and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Kartik Sharma is all set to make his spine-chilling debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in its upcoming edition which will kick-start on 28 March 2026. Kartik Sharma has been picked up by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise for a staggering INR 14.2 crore making him the third most expensive bowler of the season.
-
Mustafizur Rahman
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four most expensive bowlers of the upcoming IPL 2026 edition, we have the 30-year-old Bangladeshi international cricketer Mustafizur Rahman, who is often hailed as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of international cricket to ever represent Bangladesh and a walking nightmare for the opponent teams.
Often popularly referred to as “The Fizz”, Mustafizur Rahman has been a mainstay of the Bangladesh national cricket team since 2015 and has played a record total of 60 IPL matches as of March 2026, picking up a spine-chilling total of 65 wickets at an impressive economy rate of 8.13 establishing himself as one of the most influential bowlers in the history of the league. According to reports, Mustafizur Rahman might not be able to play even a single match of the upcoming IPL edition despite being acquired by the Delhi Capitals (DC) franchise for a staggering INR 9.20 crore.
