Indian Cricketers And Their Salaries

The Board of Control for Cricket in India is the richest board among the all test playing nations and there no doubt that they do pay their cricketers very well. The BCCI have divided their players into four main categories; Grade A+, Grade A, Grade B and Grade C. The selection of the players in each group depends on the performance and the formats they play. The players that get an A+ contract are awarded with a salary of a whopping 7 crore per annum. Players in Grade A gets a salary of 5 crore. In Grade B, players receive 3 crore as their annual income while the players in the last category i.e Grade C gets a salary of 1 crore.

As of 2019-20, 27 players were handed the contracts by the BCCI. There were 3 players in the highest category, 11 in Grade A, 5 in Grade B and  8 in Grade C.

Let’s dig a little deep and see the salaries of Indian cricketers

1 – Virat Kohli ( Grade A+, Salary 7 crore)

Virat Kohli is the most prized Indian cricketer of the current generation. The ace batsman has taken Indian cricket to new height as a batsman and as a skipper too. Virat Kohli leads India in all the three formats and has been given an A+ Grade by the BCCI. Kohli draws a salary of a whopping 7 crore per annum. Apart from this salary, Kohli earns a large amount of his income from commercial advertisements.

2 – Rohit Sharma ( Grade A+, salary 7 crore)

Just like Kohli, Rohit Sharma too have been batting at another level. The man has 3 double hundreds to his name and is well on the way to become the greatest white ball batsman of all time. Rohit Sharma has consistently delivered for India that have paved way for his A+ contract. Rohit, however, his not a permanent member of the Indian Test squad but he more than make up for that in the shorter versions.

3 – Jasprit Bumrah ( Grade A+ salary 7 crore) –

For so many years India was bullied by the teams for having a spineless bowling attack. Not anymore! India today has one of the best bowling line up in the world. The credit for this transformation must go to Jasprit Bumrah. His growth as a  leader of the Indian pace attack has been remarkable. During his initial days Bumrah was deemed as bowler that was suited to the shorter versions of the game but the day he made his debut in whites, he changed the fortunes of Indian cricket in the ultimate format. Jasprit Bumrah represents India in all three formats and draws a handsome salary of INR 7 crore per annum.

5 – Ravindra Jadeja ( Grade A, salary 5 crore)

A handy batsman, capable bowler and an electrifying fielder Jadeja provides the much needed balance to the Indian team. Of late, he’s often been preferred as the specialist spinner even over Ravichandran Ashwin. With Hardik Pandya missing most of the season due to injury, Jadeja took charge and delivered consistent performances both with the bat and ball. In the 2019 world cup semi-final against New Zealand, he almost pulled off a miraculous victory for India. His performances have earned him a Grade A contract that gives him a annual salary of 5 crores.

6 – Ravichandran Ashwin ( Grade A, Salary 5 crore)

The last few years have not been good for the ace Indian spinner. First, he was dropped from the Indian team from white ball cricket for the duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal then he lost his test spot to Ravindra Jadeja on the tour to West Indies. However, all is not lost for the premier Indian spinner as he’s managed to hold on to his Grade A contract. He earns an annual income of 5 crores.

7- Bhuveneshwar Kumar  ( Grade A, Salary 5 crore) – Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been a part of a strong Indian bowling. He along with Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami amd Ishant Sharma has allowed India to taste success overseas. The last few months, however, have not been that good for Bhuvneshwar Kumar as his career has been hampered by the injuries. However, the skills and the class he poses, there is little doubt that he’ll bounce back in style. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was handed a Grade A contract and draws a yearly salary of 5 crore.

8 – Cheteshwar Pujara  ( Grade A, Salary 5 crore)

One word that comes to mind when you think of Cheteshwar Pujara is ‘ solid’. Pujara has been the backbone of the Indian batting line up in Tests. His heroics helped Virat thrash Australia and win their first ever Test series down under. Pujara has been kept in Grade A and earn a handsome salary of 5 crore.

9 – Ajikya Rahane ( Grade A salary 5 crore)

A classical batsman that bailed India out of trouble on many occasions, Ajikya Rahane has been reduced to a Test only batsman. Rahane has been sidelined by the selectors due to his inconsistent performances in the shorter versions. His Test form too has seen a massive dip of late but still he’s managed to hold on to his Grade A contract. He’ll be eager to make a mark when India tour Australia later this year.

10 – Shikhar Dhawan – (Grade A, salary 5 crore)

2019  wasn’t a good year for Shikhar Dhawan as he was in and out of the side due to injuries. His world cup campaign was cut short to a mere 2 matches due to a thumb injury which was followed by a knee injury that forced Dhawan to miss most of the cricket post the World Cup. The ace Indian opener currently draws a salary of  INR 5 crore per annum and will be eager to roar as he awaits resumption of international cricket for India.

11 – Mohammad Shami ( Grade A, Salary 5 crore)

Mohammed Shami is one of the most skilled bowler of this generation. Having worked on his fitness, Shami came roaring back into the Indian team and ended the year 2019 as the leading wicket taker in ODIs.  His ability to reverse swing the ball has made him an asset for Virat Kohli especially in the longest format of the game. Shami too have been put in Grade A contract and his yearly income is INR 5 crore.

12 – Ishant Sharma ( Grade A, Salary 5 crore)

Investing in Ishant Sharma is now paying dividend for  Indian cricket. Sharma who only plays Test cricket for India has evolved as a steady bowler that forms a strong pace quadruplet with Mohammed Shami, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar. He’s the most experienced cricketer in the current Indian set up and earns INR 5 crore as a salary from the BCCI.

13 – KL Rahul  ( Grade A, salary 5 crore)

KL Rahul has been rated as the best Indian batsman after Virat Kohli. His technique, his skills with the bat is just amazing. Somehow, he’s not delivered as expected. The selectors, though have showed a lot of faith and gave him a Grade A contract which will give him INR 5 crore as his salary.

14 – Kuldeep Yadav  (Grade A, Salary 5 crore)

Chinamen are rare in cricket and India is lucky to have one. Kuldeep is pretty difficult to read and have the skills to make the batsmen dance to his tunes. Having said that, he need more exposure before he could really emerge as a match-winner for India. The selectors sees a long future in him and have kept him the Grade A contract which give him a salary of INR 5 crore.

Players that have been kept in Grade B  and earns a annual salary of 5 crore are Yuzvendra Chahal, Hardik Pandya, Umesh Yadav. Players in Grade C are Khaleel Ahmed, Wriddhiman Saha, Dinesh Karthik,  Kedar Jhadav, Hanuma Vihari, Washington Sunder etc.