Indian cricketers and their salaries 2018

Team India. (Photo Source: Twitter) Cricket is one of the most-viewed sport in India. It is extremely popular in the country and people of all age groups watch it. Hence, for the obvious reasons, cricketers are very famous and are usually adored by the fans. It is a well-known fact that the Indian cricketers are some of the highest paid cricketers from around the world. The Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) is one of the richest cricketing boards around the world. It is manifest that the cricketers also rake in the dosh. The Indian cricketers put in the hard strides and work very hard to maintain the standards of their game. They strive hard to maintain terrific fitness levels and almost play throughout the year. In a country with a population of 1.32 billion, it is never easy to make it into the final XI. Hence, the Indian cricketers deserve every bit of their hard-earned money. The BCCI has revised the pay structures for the players this year. The salaries have almost doubled up and Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shikhar Dhawan and Jasprit Bumrah are the biggest gainers. Furthermore, a new ‘Grade A+’ category was introduced to the ‘Annual Player Contracts’ for the players who represent the country in all the three formats of the game. Here is the list of players who are a part of this contract. These players, without a doubt, are some of the highest paid in the world. Grade A+ 1. Virat Kohli – INR 7 Crores Virat Kohli is one of the most adored cricketers all across the globe and needs no introduction. He is the backbone of the Indian batting lineup and also leads the side across formats. Virat is the most important target for all the oppositions and they spend lots of hours planning his dismissal. However, he has never failed to maintain his impeccable consistency. Moreover, he continues to inspire many players with his fitness levels and work routines. It is believed that he and MS Dhoni were instrumental in bringing in the new ‘Grade A+’ category to reward the players who play all formats. Being the skipper of the side in the all formats, there is no doubt that he is placed in the ‘Grade A+’ category. His annual salary is ₹7 crores. 2. Rohit Sharma – INR 7 Crores Rohit Sharma has evolved as one of the most important cricketers in the Indian lineup. Ever since he was promoted as an opener in the limited overs format, Rohit has made that spot his own. He has scored 4616 runs in ODIs since 2013, highest by an opener and only behind Virat Kohli overall. Furthermore, he is also the deputy to Virat Kohli is the limited overs formats. He can be absolutely destructive in T20Is as well. While he is yet to make his mark in Tests, he has made the most out the limited opportunities that he has got. But, he was still considered for the ‘Grade A+’ category and earns ₹7 crores per annum as his salary. 3. Shikhar Dhawan – INR 7 Crores Shikhar Dhawan is Rohit Sharma’s partner in crime. These two have provided India with many memorable wins over the last few years. Shikhar Dhawan opens for India in all the three formats of the game and is a high impact player. On a given day, he could be absolutely ruthless and get the opposition scratching their heads. Although this dynamic left-hander was left out of the side a few times last year, he has made a stronger comeback every single time. He plays fearless cricket, something the team always keeps trying to do. Furthermore, he is a great character and can lift the teams’ spirits. He is paid ₹7 crores per year. Dhawan had a ‘Grade-C’ contract on ₹50 lakhs last year. 4. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – INR 7 Crores If there is one bowler who has raised his game several notches up over the last few years, it has to be Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He has grown leaps and bounds and is one of the most complete bowlers at the moment. Bhuvi keeps impressing everyone with his performances and is very consistent. He has always had the gift of swinging the ball both the ways. Now, he also increased his pace which consistently goes up to 140 clicks. Bhuvi has 181 international wickets thus far and will want to add a lot more to his tally in the near future. Bhuvi is also placed in the highest bracket and earns ₹7 crores. His contract was upgraded all the way from ₹1 crores last year. 5. Jasprit Bumrah – INR 7 Crores Having trained with Lasith Malinga at the Mumbai Indians camp, Bumrah has many lethal weapons in his armour. There were a lot of questions about his bowling when he started off. However, he has proved everyone wrong and is one of the most crucial bowlers in the Indian attack. Bumrah has played an important role in helping India develop as a world-class attack. He can be brutal in the death overs and bowls great yorkers. Further, he mixes them up with slower balls and lethal bouncer making him one of the toughest bowlers to face. Moreover, he has also made his ‘Red Ball’ debut this year and looked very impressive. Hence, he is paid ₹7 crores per annum as his salary. Grade A 6. MS Dhoni – INR 5 Crores Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the most popular faces in Indian cricket. He is known for his finishing abilities with the bat and his clinical work with the gloves. Even though he is at the twilight of his career, he continues to be one of the most important men in the side. He has an abundance of experience and guides the younger cricketers coming through the ranks. Mahi was one of the highest paid cricketers until last year. But, since he only plays the limited formats for India, his annual contract was downgraded. He is believed to hold the key for India at least till the World Cup 2019. MS is placed in the ‘Grade A category’ and is paid ₹5 crores per annum. 7. Ajinkya Rahane – INR 5 Crores Ajinkya Rahane is one of the calmest cricketers in the Indian setup. He goes about his work quite silently unlike many other players and is quite under-rated. He is India’s vice-captain in the Tests and is one of the most elegant players to watch. Although he doesn’t get to be a part of the limited-overs XI’s much, he regularly makes it into these squads. He is a very crucial member in the Test lineup and was included in the ‘Grade A’ category since he doesn’t play all the formats regularly. He is paid ₹5 crores per year. 8. Murali Vijay – INR 5 Crores Murali Vijay has been entrusted as India’s Test opener for quite some time now. He is one of the most stylish players going around and is a highly patient player. He has got some great skill and can bat for long hours. Vijay has been very consistent for India in Tests for quite some time now. Vijay provides the side with some great starts in Tests and has played almost all the Tests India has played in the last few months. Since Vijay has been playing in all the Tests for quite some time now, he has been included in the ‘Grade A’ category which pays a player ₹5 crores per year. 9. Cheteshwar Pujara – INR 5 Crores Cheteshwar Pujara is a tough nut to crack. He plays at the crucial No 3 position for India, a position where Rahul Dravid used to play earlier. Pujara has undoubtedly carried Rahul Dravid’s legacy forward. He holds the innings together for India and often builds huge partnerships with the other players. Furthermore, he is one of the few players in Test cricket to have an average of over 50. Also, he has improved upon his game in the recent times and is scoring quickly as well. Pujara will have a huge role to play in the Overseas Tests in 2018. Just like Murali Vijay, he plays almost all the Tests for India and earns ₹5 crores as his salary per year. 10. Wriddhiman Saha – INR 5 Crores Wriddhiman Saha is also another regular member in the Test squad. He is one of the best wicket-keepers in the country and is very safe behind the stumps. Ever since the retirement of MS Dhoni is the longest format of the game, he has made this spot his own. Furthermore, he doubles up as an important batsman down the order. He adds some crucial runs for the team and is a great asset to the side. He is a part of the ‘Grade A’ category and earns ₹5 crores per annum as a per of the ‘Annual Player Contract’. 11. Ravichandran Ashwin – INR 5 Crores Ravichandran Ashwin was a regular part of all the three formats of the game until some while ago. However, this finger spinner was replaced by the wrist spinners in the limited overs formats. He doesn’t feature in the ODIs and T20Is anymore but is a regular member of the Test side. The 31-year-old is the fastest to reach 300 wickets in Tests and holds many other records. Also, he has added a great variety to his bowling in the recent times. He is also working on bowling leg-spin and is expected to pick many wickets more soon. He is working hard to stage a come back in the limited overs and is currently paid ₹5 crores per year. 12. Ravindra Jadeja – INR 5 Crores Ravindra Jadeja is another finger spinner who was ousted from the limited overs side due to the emergence of wrist spinners. Jadeja is known for his pinpoint accuracy and ability to bowl very quick spells. He is a regular member in the Tests and bowls at a great economy rate. Currently, he is the No.2 in the Test all-rounder ranking and No.4 in the Test bowlers rankings. Furthermore, Jadeja also comes in handy with the bat and can play some aggressive cricket. He has had a decent IPL 2018 and will keep his fingers crossed about his comeback in the limited overs formats. Jadeja is placed in the second highest bracket and earns ₹5 crores per annum. Grade B 13. Umesh Yadav – INR 3 Crores Umesh Yadav bowls at a very quick pace but is known for his inconsistency. Without assistance from the pitch, he isn’t that great a bowler. However, he is working hard on his bowling and accuracy in the recent times. Yadav has impressed everyone with his show with the new ball in the IPL and will want to work on a few more aspects of his bowling. He has also got one of the best-throwing arms in the Indian team. Yadav is in and out of the Test team for some time now. With a lot of talent coming up, he will have to work on his game much better to be a regular member of the side. It has been a very long time since he has played in the limited overs format for India and hence is paid ₹3 crores per annum. 14. KL Rahul – INR 3 Crores KL Rahul is one of the most sound players you will ever see. There is a certain charm that goes about his batting. But, his skill has been fairly underutilised by the team management as they do not wish to bat the opening batsmen out of their positions. Hence, he had to warm the bench for a majority of the home season. But in the IPL 2018, he has shown how good a player he could be. KL Rahul is one of the best T20I batsmen at the moment for India. However, he hasn’t been fortunate enough to get as many chances ass he would like in Tests and ODIs. But, since he is in some sublime form this year and is a definite choice to represent India in all three formats of the game soon. He is paid ₹3 crores per annum. 15. Kuldeep Yadav – INR 3 Crores Kuldeep Yadav has evolved into one of the most important members for India in the limited overs formats. The left-arm chinaman bowler in highly deceptive in the air and off the pitch. In his brief stint with the Indian team, he has impressed many and has regularly been among the wickets. He was also picked in the Tests following up the impressive performances. He will play an important role for the team in the World Cup 2019 which will be played in England. The England pitches are not known to offer a fair deal of assistance to the finger spinners and the wrist spinners will hold the key. Kuldeep currently is a part of the ‘Grade B’ contract and earns ₹3 crores per annum. 16. Yuzvendra Chahal – INR 3 Crores Yuzvendra Chahal is Kuldeep Yadav’s spin twin in the limited overs set-up. This duo has replaced Ashwin and Jadeja and made the two spots in the XI their own. Chahal is a crafty leg-spinner and is a highly deceptive customer. He outfoxes the batsmen with the flight and turn and has had great success in the last few months. Although Chahal leaks quite a few runs, he has this knack of picking wickets regulaarly pushing the opposition onto the backfoot. While he is yet to play a Test for India, Chahal has played a decent number of ODIs and T20Is. He has an abundance of IPL experience and has found great success bowling at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is a batsmen’s paradise. The 27-year-old earns ₹3 crores per year. 17. Hardik Pandya – INR 3 Crores Hardik Pandya has provided the Indian team with many answers to their search for a genuine all-rounder. He was regarded as the next ‘Kapil Dev’ but has a long and tough way to get there to be called the true successor to the legend. Pandya is quite an aggressive player with the bat and is also a very reliable bowler. Furthermore, he is an electric fielder and is a great asset to any side. Hardik Pandya is playing all the three formats for India currently. However, he is yet to establish himself as a consistent and bankable player. His performances are not really consistent and he struggles against pace while batting. He has got to work on a few aspects of his game to be an impact player in the side. Pandya earns ₹3 crores per annum as a part of the annual player contract. Pandya had a ‘Grade C’ contract in 2017 which was worth ₹50 lakhs. 18. Ishant Sharma – INR 3 Crores Ishant Sharma started his international cricket way back in 2007 when he was just 18. In his 11-year-old career, the lanky fast bowler has seen many ups and downs. His pace went down a few years back. However, he has worked his way back beautifully and is probably bowling his best at the moment. With over 200 Test wickets, Ishant is only playing the longest format currently. He has been out of favour in the shorter formats of the game. But, he is a regular member of the Test squad. He has the ability to extract a fair amount of bounce off the pitch and bowls some great inswingers. He earns ₹3 crores per annum. 19. Dinesh Karthik – INR 3 Crores Dinesh Karthik has reemerged onto the International scene in a grand way just a few days after he was awarded the ‘Annual Player Contract’. He has played a very important role in helping India win the Nidahas Trophy in 2018 where he scored a majority of the 23 runs that were to be scored in the last over in the big finals. The best from DK is yet to come and 2018 could be a life-changing year for the wicketkeeper from Tamil Nadu. However, he should ensure that he maintains the consistency and not throw it away like he did on several occasions earlier. DK too is a part of the ‘Grade B’ contract and earns ₹3 crores per year. 20. Mohammed Shami – INR 3 Crores Mohammed Shami is having a torrid time in 2018 both personally and professionally. There were allegations of domestic violence on him early on and he was also ripped off his annual contract. However, it was later reinstated by the BCCI after he was cleared from all the fuss. Shami did not have a gret IPL either. Adding to the woes, he also failed the fitness test and was pulled out of the only Test match against Afghanistan. Shami, however, has been a vital cog for the team in Tests and also plays a few ODIs here and there. He is expected to play big roles for the team in the near future and should train on the mental side of his game. The 28-year-old is paid ₹3 crores per annum. Grade C 21. Suresh Raina – INR 1 Crore Suresh Raina has made a comeback into the Indian team this year. He has smashed a 49-ball centtury in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy to make a spot for himself on the selectors’ radar. Raina has played some more good innings after this one. On the back of these strong domestic performances, he was picked into the T20I squad against South Africa. He continued to feature in the team for the Nidahas Trophy as well and had a decent IPL. Raina did not have a contract last year and would be glad he got there in 2018. Raina aspires to play the World Cup 2019 and this would be a great boost for him. He is working extremely hard on his fitness and the 31-year-old seems to be extremely determined. He is awarded a contract of ₹1 crore which is likely to go up next year given that he continues to impress. 22. Kedar Jadhav – INR 1 Crore Kedar Jadhav has made quite a late entry into international cricket. However, he quickly turned into one of the important members of the side. He played some useful cameos with the bat adding some crucial runs to be side. Also, Jadhav is a very canny bowler with his low-arm action that makes it very difficult for the batsmen to pick. He has picked the wickets of even the best in the business and many other players also tried to copy his action. However, Jadhav has struggled to maintain the consistency and fitness levels. While he was expected to play a huge role in England next year in the World Cup, he is currently losing his way out and has to work hard to make it back into the side. Currently, Jadhav has a ₹1 crore central contract. 23. Manish Pandey – INR 1 Crore Manish Pandey has been in the Indian side for quite some while now. He is regarded as one of the most talented players in the domestic circuit. However, he has failed to replicate the same kind of success at the International arena. His stance mostly favours him hitting the ball on the leg-side and that has put him in troubles on many occasions. Manish Pandey has to work on the flaws and correct the technical aspects of his game. However, what might seem to be flaws to the experts when he is out of form might not be a real concern for him. After all, he has made it into the Indian team by following the same technique. However, since this is the international level, there are a lot of eyes preying on you and trying to expoilt the flaws. Manish must make the most of this opportunity that he has got and should work hard to get his name again in the ‘Annual Player Contracts’ next year. He earns ₹1 crore presently as his salary. 24. Karun Nair – INR 1 Crore Karun Nair is a highly talented player. However, he hasn’t utilised his talent to the best of his ability. Nair is only the second player after Virender Sehwag to have scored a triple century for India in Tests. He hasn’t got as many opportunities in the side but will definitely try to make his mark as soon as possible. Just like Manish Pandey, he has very limited opportunities in his hands to prove his abilities. There are a lot of youngsters rising up the ranks who will be giving some tough competition to him. Nair should work on the consistency aspect of his game to be able to hold on to this contract. At the moment, he is placed in the ‘Grade C’ category and earns ₹1 crore per annum. 25. Axar Patel – INR 1 Crore Axar Patel too has been around for some time now. He is one of the regular members in the limited overs set-up. However, he hasn’t been playing in the XI on a consistent basis. With the wrist spinners dominating, Axar really hasn’t got his chances despite being in the side. Furthermore, his heroics with the bat are not well known. He hasn’t been able to justify his ability with the bat for a long time now and Hardik Pandya has been the better-preferred all-rounder. Axar has held on to his ‘Grade C’ contract from last year and currently earns ₹1 crore per annum. 26. Parthiv Patel – INR 1 Crore Parthiv Patel has made a comeback into the Indian team recently when Saha was injured. He is a veteran in domestic cricket and has waited for a long time to make it to the team. However, he has got stern competition from other wicketkeepers in the country. Although Parthiv continues to pile up a good amount of runs in the domestic circuit, he is known for his sloppy glove work. That was pretty much evident in his comeback game. Dinesh Karthik is also competing hard with him to take the position of second choice wicketkeeper in Tests. Parthiv will have to work a lot on his glove work to make his mark. He earns ₹1 crore per annum currently. 27. Jayant Yadav – INR 1 Crore Jayant Yadav has played his last Test match in February 2017 against Australia. He has played 4 Tests for the team thus far and has picked 11 wickets. However, selectors haven’t shown much interest in him since the series against the ‘Kangaroos’. Yadav has found it tough to make it through the existing pool of available spinners. He is a much better batsman than a bowler. But, picking him in the side as a batsman who can bowl doesn’t seem to be possible or isn’t feasible either. It is quite surprising that he got an annual contract. Yadav earns INR 1 crore currently. (Photos Source: Getty Images)

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