Indian cricketers salary 2019: How much will the Indian cricketers under the BCCI earn for the period 2018-19
Advertisement
It is no secret that The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is the richest cricket board in the world. The BCCI has had a significant rise in revenue since the arrival of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2007. The ever lucrative league has acted as a boon for Indian Cricket over the years. The fact that it just concluded its 12th season breaking all previous viewership records, speaks volumes of its success in all fronts.
The same has reflected on the income or salaries of its players. BCCI’s Committee of Administrators (CoA) had just a few months ago, announced the annual contracts of the cricketers for 2018-19. The pay structure and slabs are the same as they were last year. They are divided into four categories – Grade A+, Grade A, Grade B and Grade C. These contracts are for the period October 2018- September 2019.
Here is how the salary caps are divided amongst the 25 players in the annual contract list:
GRADE A+
VIRAT KOHLI – RS 7 CRORES
The Indian Team skipper Virat Kohli is the first player in the Grade A+ annual contract. He has gone on from strength to strength since his captaincy stint commenced in 2016 across all formats.
Raising the bar of fitness for him and the team, Kohli has rarely missed matches for his country owing to injury concerns.
The 30-year-old will thus get paid ₹7 crores for this period as a part of his contract, akin the previous year.
ROHIT SHARMA – RS 7 CRORES
The second player in the Grade A+ list is India opening batsman in the limited overs format- Rohit Sharma.
Rohit had also led Team India to emerge victorious in the 2018 Asia Cup in the absence of Kohli, and is a vital organ in the Indian batting order as far as their World Cup chances are concerned.
Rohit will also get paid ₹7 crores for this period as a part of his contract.
JASPRIT BUMRAH – RS 7 CRORES
Touted as the best bowler in the world across all formats currently, Jasprit Bumrah has had a dream run in his international Cricketing career so far.
He made his Test debut in 2018 and has now emerged as the leading pace bowler in the team across all formats. He is lethal with his death bowling ability, which had been India’s weakness in the past.
Thus, for all the skills and hard work he deservedly earns a place in the seven Crore price bracket.
GRADE A
MS DHONI- RS 5 CRORES
The veteran wicket-keeper batsman and former captain of the Indian Cricket Team- MS Dhoni finds himself in the Grade A pay scale. He was also in the Grade A+ pay scale until last year, but the fact that he no longer features in Test matches for India had resulted in a demotion in hierarchy.
The ‘Grade A+’ is only for the cricketers who feature in all the three formats regularly.
Ravichandran Ashwin- Rs 5 Crores
Even after having received a snub from representing India in the limited-overs format, Ravichandran Ashwin finds his place in the Grade A payment scale.
The off-spinner will thus earn RS 5 crores per annum as a part of his contract.
Ravindra Jadeja- Rs 5 Crores
Jadeja too, along with Ashwin had faced the selection snub from the selectors in the limited-overs format from India. But, he has recently been a part of the Indian bowling set-up, courtesy his hitting abilities down the order, and super fielding ability.
Moreover, he is also an important bowler in the longest format of the game, especially in Home conditions. Thus, he will also earn Rs 5 Crore this year.
Cheteshwar Pujara
Pujara is one of the most dependable batsman in the Test format for India. Batting at no.3 in the batting order, is as dependable a batsman for India, as Virat Kohli in the limited overs.
He played an instrumental role in India first ever Test series victory on Australian soil, smashing 3 centuries. He too will go away with Rs 5 Crores this year.
Ajinkya Rahane- Rs 5 Crore
Yet another mainstay in the Indian Test team set-up, Ajinkya Rahane has been brilliant for India in the middle-order batting mostly at no.5.
However, he has recently been in poor form off-late. The Test team vice-captain would bag Rs 5 Crores this year too.
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar- Rs 5 Crores
One of the finest pacers in the current Indian team, alongside Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar has carved a niche for himself with brilliant display of swing as well as death bowling in the limited-overs format.
But, injury concerns meant that he did not find a place in the Test series’ which India have played off-late. Thus, he has witnessed a downscale from Rs 7 Crores to Rs 5 Crore in the annual payment scale for the year.
Shikhar Dhawan- Rs 5 Crores
Out unfortunately due to a fractured thumb, from the Indian World Cup squad, Shikhar Dhawan is the bedrock of the Indian batting order in the limited overs format.
But, a struggle in the Test format meant that he was no longer in contention for a place in the side. This meant a decrease in payment scale from Grade A+ to Grade A. Thus he too, will earn Rs 5 Crores for the rest of the period.
Ishant Sharma- Rs 5 Crores
The tall fast bowler from Delhi, has been highly inconsistent with his performances for quite some time now. He has thus been in and out of the Test team on a regular basis.
But, the faith that was put in him back then is now reaping rewards. Ishant has been performing quite consistently in the Test arena. Thus, his contract was upgraded from ‘Grade B’ last year. The Delhi cricketer will now earn ₹5 crores per annum.
Mohammad Shami- Rs 5 Crore
Shami has grown from strength to strength since the year 2018 with the ball in hand. He shed a lot of weight to improve his performances and the hard work that he put behind the scenes is now paying rewards. Even though he has been a regular feature in the Test squad, Shami was ignored for the limited-overs squad more often than not.
But, now he is one of the three-seamers for India in the World Cup campaign courtesy his stellar performances in the limited-overs format too off-late. He thus too, deservedly would take away Rs 5 Crores for the year.
Kuldeep Yadav- Rs 5 Crores
He has emerged to be the vital cog in the Indian spin department, especially in the limited-overs format for India. His leg-breaks have sealed his spot in the team, and is also providing great services in the Test arena as well.
There are just subtle differences in his wrist positions when he bowls the googly and the batsmen have often failed to pick it. Yadav is an extremely clever customer and has been a part of the Indian squads across all the three formats. His contract, as a result, is now improved from ₹3 crores to ₹5 crores.
Rishabh Pant- Rs 5 Crores
Pant has been a magnificent find for India across all formats of the game. He has almost sealed his place in the Test format, but lacks the consistency in the limited-overs format, which is the reason he was left out of the 2019 World Cup squad.
He has already impressed one and all with couple of overseas centuries against well groomed teams like Australia and England. As a result of his performances, Pant is offered a central contract for the first time in his career and is slotted in ‘Grade A’ straightaway.
GRADE B
KL Rahul- 3 Crores
Drafted into the Indian World Cup squad following some decent limited-overs batting performances off-late, KL Rahul now, in a dramatic turn of events is playing as an opening batsman in the team alongside Rohit Sharma in the ongoing World Cup.
It is worth mentioning that Rahul had gone through a torrid time in the second half of 2018, and his selection in the team was not confirmed until the eleventh hour.
However, the opening batsman was fortunate enough to find his place back in the Indian team after the suspension was lifted. He seems to be highly determined now and values every opportunity much more than he did earlier. KL Rahul succeeded in retaining the same contract as it was last year.
Umesh Yadav- 3 Crores
Akin Ishant Sharma, Umesh too has had a start-stop sort of a career in the Test format for India. His poor economy rate in the limited-overs format had led to his selection snub from the World Cup squad as well.
Moreover, the management hasn’t backed him much and he was dropped from the side just after one or two poor shows. BCCI has still backed the Vidarbha fast bowler with a Rs 3 Crore contract this year.
Yuzvendra Chahal- Rs 3 Crores
Along with Kuldeep Yadav, the pocket-sized dynamo- Yuzvendra Chahal has also become a mainstay in the Indian spin bowling department.
But, the fact that he does not play Test Cricket like his partner Kuldeep, has earned him a Grade B contract which fetches him a Rs 3 Crore annual contract.
Hardik Pandya- Rs 3 Crores
Perhaps, the best all-rounder presently in the Indian limited overs side, Hardik Pandya has been quite a revelation for India off-late.
.But, the all-rounder got injured in September 2018 and was thus ruled out for nearly two months, which meant that he hardly played Test Cricket. Repeated injury woes might have been the reason he did not receive a promotion in the annual contract. But, he deservedly managed to retain his previous contract.
Grade C
Kedar Jadhav- Rs 1 Crore
Kedar Jadhav has also been an integral part of India’s ODI team. He has the ability to up the ante coming down the middle order, and also provided useful spin bowling services, with the knack of breaking growing partnerships of the opposition batting.
He has not made his Test debut yet, handing him a Grade C contract of Rs 1 Crore per annum.
Dinesh Karthik- Rs 1 Crore
Wicket-keeper batsman Dinesh Karthik has played some high-quality cricket in the last few months. However, he hasn’t got as many opportunities as he’d like. With players like MS Dhoni and Rishabh Pant around, he has still managed to maintain his form and consistency which also led to his selection in the World Cup squad.
His contract has been downgraded for this year and will earn ₹1 crore instead of the ₹3 crores that he earned last time around.
Ambati Rayudu- Rs 1 Crore
When the Indian team was struggling to find a reliable number four ahead of the World Cup 2019, Ambati Rayudu came up as the solution to the problems.
However, his below average performances in the limited overs series in New Zealand and Australia led to his exclusion from the World Cup squad.
Given that he has fared well for the team, the BCCI decided to offer him a central contract. He plays only one format of the game and therefore is placed in the ‘Grade C’ bracket.
Manish Pandey- Rs 1 Crore
Manish Pandey hasn’t played an international game since September last year. In the various opportunities that he got in ODI cricket, Pandey failed to create an impression and was thus axed from the squad.
However, he has performed well at the domestic level and was always in the contention for a national call-up. This might have helped him retain his central contract this year. Like the other cricketers here, Pandey will earn ₹1 crore per annum.
Hanuma Vihari- Rs 1 Crore
Hanuma Vihari exhibited some decent temperament in the couple of innings he played for India during the series against Australia off-late.
The 25-year-old played represented India in four Tests thus far and definitely has a long career ahead representing India. For the first time, Vihari was offered a central contract. The BCCI’s CoA placed him in the ₹1 crore slab and he would be looking to improve on that by the time next contracts are announced.
Khaleel Ahmed- Rs 1 Crore
Apart from Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Team India has been hunting for the third pacer in the side for a long time before Mohammed Shami rose up to the occasion. In the process, Khaleel Ahmed was also tried out in quite a few games
Moreover, being a left-armed pacer provided him an added advantage over other bowlers due to the variety he hands to the side.
However, he failed to impress in the limited opportunities that he got and was not included in the World Cup squad. . As an incentive for whatever he has done thus far, Khaleel has got a ₹1 crore contract.
Wriddhiman Saha- Rs 1 Crore
Wriddhiman Saha’s career in the last one year has been marred by several injuries. The wicket-keeper batsman has been out of the action for a majority of the time and worked extremely hard to regain his fitness. In the defined period of these contracts, Saha didn’t play a single international game.
Thus, while he was in the Grade A contract last year, he has been downgraded to the Grade C contact for the annum.
