Indian cricketers and their salaries

Indian cricketers and their salaries: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is one of the richest cricket governing bodies in the world. Unlike other national sports federations in India, the BCCI does not rely on the government for finances. The board shows a very big heart when it comes to awarding remuneration and rewards to their players. Every year after the Annual General Meeting, the list of yearly central contracts is released. These central contracts are categorized as “Grade A,” “Grade B” and “Grade C.” It is graded according to the importance and performances of players. The Grade A contracts offer a salary of Rs. 1 Crore per annum, Grade B offer Rs. 50 lakhs per annum while the Grade C contract is worth Rs. 25 lakhs per annum. Also, if a player, who is not in the list of contracted players, plays a minimum of three Test/ODI/T20I matches, gets added in Grade ‘C’ or Grade ‘B’ category, respectively. The players in the playing eleven also get paid additional match fees. Apart from the central contracts, Indian players also earn hefty sums from endorsement deals and IPL contracts. Here is the list of contracted Indian cricketers and their salaries: 1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni – 1 Crore: MS Dhoni currently leads India in the ODI and T20I format after retiring from the Tests earlier this year. MS Dhoni was retained and given the Grade A contract this year as well. He might be in the twilight of his career, but he still has the mass appeal. Dhoni has a fair share of lucrative endorsement deals apart from co-owning sports teams and still is one of the highest earning cricketers. 2. Virat Kohli – 1 Crore: (© Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Virat Kohli is the future of the Indian cricket. He took the challenging job of Test captain from MS Dhoni and has shown a lot of promise. Kohli was awarded the Grade A central contract. Apart from that, Kohli also has high-paying endorsement deals and sponsorships. He has overtaken bigwigs like MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar in terms of earnings from endorsements. Kohli is believed to be handling close to 10 brands and charges up to 3 crores every endorsement. Virat is also the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore team in IPL and is among one of the top paid players. 3. Ravichandran Ashwin – 1 Crore: Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo Source: BCCI) The off-spinner from Tamil Nadu is India’s leading spinner across all formats. He has been a top performer for India, especially in Tests. Ashwin has 55 wickets in just 8 Tests he played so far in the year 2015. Ashwin was also retained and awarded a Grade A contract for his outstanding performances for India. Ashwin also endorses few brands and earns a significant amount of money from them. Also Read – Top 10 Richest Cricketers 4. Ajinkya Rahane – 1 Crore: Ajinkya Rahane. (© Getty Images) Ajinkya Rahane has been India’s most dependable top middle order batsman. Rahane has a central contract. Rahane has been a top performer for India. He has two centuries and two half-centuries to his name in 2015. The shy and polite cricketer has few endorsement contracts as a part of the Rajasthan Royals sponsorship deal. However, his brand value is not very high and is believed to charge 25-30 lakhs a year which far less than contemporaries. 5. Ambati Rayudu – 50 lakhs: Ambati Rayudu. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Rayudu has slowly grown as a good ODI player for India but get few chances in the team. He last played for India against Zimbabwe in July. Ambati Rayudu earned a Grade B contract this year which offers him a retainer ship of Rs.50 lakhs per year. Ambati Rayudu also has an IPL contract with Mumbai Indians. 6. Rohit Sharma – 50 lakhs: Rohit Sharma. (© Getty Images) Rohit Sharma was given a Grade B contract and earns 50 lakhs a year. The ‘Hitman’ also enjoys endorsement deals to back up his earnings. Solid performances in limited over formats and popularity in the social media made him a sought after individual in the world of advertisements. Rohit is the skipper of Mumbai Indians team in the IPL and is one of their top paid players. 7. Murali Vijay – 50 lakhs: Murali Vijay. (Photo Source: BCCI) Murali Vijay has cemented his place in the Indian team as a Test specialist and has performed considerably well. Vijay has done well as an opener travelling with the Indian team around the world and has succeeded in conditions like Australia, England and South Africa. Thus, he was retained and awarded a Grade B contract this year as well. 8. Shikhar Dhawan – 50 lakhs: Shikhar Dhawan. (Photo Source: AFP) The dashing left hander’s batting form has been inconsistent and looks to be currently struggling a little. The board has faith in him and has retained his Grade B contract. Dhawan has the ability to grab the eyeball with his flashy batting. These qualities have made brands take notice of him. The Gabbar of Indian cricket also has a couple of brand endorsements and an IPL contract with Sunrisers Hyderabad. 9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 50 lakhs: Bhuvneshwar Kumar. (© Getty Images) Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s bowling form has faded away in the last year and so he is more often not even a part of the squad. As a result, he was demoted from the Grade A to Grade B this year. He earns 50 lakhs from his central contracts. Kumar is also contracted with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League. 10. Umesh Yadav – 50 lakhs: Umesh Yadav. (© Getty Images) Umesh Yadav is one of the fastest bowlers and more consistent bowlers in India. The speedster from Vidarbha was also retained and given a Grade B contract worth 50 lakhs. Yadav plays for Delhi Daredevils in the IPL and has various sponsorship deals to add to his income. 11. Ishant Sharma – 50 lakhs: Ishant Sharma. (Photo Source: AFP) The tall aggressive medium fast bowler is currently India’s leading fast bowler in Tests. He performed very well in home conditions and has done well in away conditions as well. Ishant has a Grade B contract. He plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad team in the IPL. 12. Cheteshwar Pujara – 50 lakhs: Cheteshwar Pujara. (© AFP/Getty Images) Cheteshwar Pujara has proved his worth in the Test format and is steadily developing as the next dependable batsman for India. He has done consistently well for India in the home series while still has a lot to prove overseas. Pujara was also retained and handed a Grade B contract. 13. Mohammad Shami – 50 lakhs: Mohammed Shami. (© Getty Images) Injuries might have put his career on the back foot but Mohammad Shami still continues to be one of the potent fast bowlers for India. He last played for India in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Shami also has an IPL contract with the Delhi Daredevils franchise. 14. Suresh Raina – 50 lakhs: Suresh Raina. (© Getty Images) Suresh Raina has experienced a slump of form recently which has affected his paycheck now. Last year, he was among the list of Grade A players, but this year has been demoted to Grade B. Though this would not affect his annual earnings big time since he also has a few big endorsements like Boost, Pepsi and CEAT along with the big paycheque he draws from CSK for the IPL. 15. Amit Mishra – 25 lakhs: (Photo Source: AFP) Amit Mishra is currently the top choice leggie for India. He regained the selectors confidence and made a comeback into the ODI squad in 2013. It earned him a Grade C contract last year. BCCI retained Mishra and has awarded a Grade C contract this year. Apart from the central contract, Mishra plays for Delhi Daredevils and also earns from sponsorship deals. 16. Axar Patel – 25 lakhs: Axar Patel. (© Getty Images) Axar Patel is the next promising young player in India and has already started to prove his credentials. Patel played regularly for India as an all-rounder in the absence of Ravindra Jadeja. The 21-year-old was awarded a Grade C contract this year by BCCI. He also plays for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. 17. Stuart Binny – 25 lakhs: Stuart Binny. (© Getty Images) Stuart Binny is currently the best seam bowling all-rounder who has been in and around the Indian team. He gets a game whenever the management wants to add the all-round option in the XI. Binny has been retained with the Grade C contract. 18. Wriddhiman Saha – 25 lakhs: Wriddhiman Saha. (© Hindustan Times via Getty Images) Wriddhiman Saha has become the first choice wicket keeper in the Indian Test team after the retirement of MS Dhoni. And as a result he has a lot to look forward to at least in the Tests. Saha was given the Grade C contract by BCCI. He is also a regular for Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. 19. Mohit Sharma – 25 lakhs: Mohit Sharma. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Mohit Sharma has now established himself as a worthy limited overs seamer for India and features regularly in the side. Kown for his variations Mohit was also a part of the Indian team for the World Cup 2015 and played all the 7 matches. He was given a Grade C contract by BCCI this year. 20. Varun Aaron – 25 lakhs: Varun Aaron. (© Getty Images) Varun Aaron is currently one of the fastest pacers in India. Injury problems have had a huge effect on his career. However, whenever fit, he is picked up in the Indian squad to push the speed guns higher for the team. He has a grade C contract with him. Aaron also plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. 21. Karn Sharma – 25 lakhs: Karn Sharma. (© Getty Images) Leg-spinner Karn Sharma played a sole Test in Australia last year after making his limited overs debut around same time. He has a Grade C central contract. Apart from being in the fray for a spot in the India team, Karn also plays for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. 22. Ravindra Jadeja – 25 lakhs: Ravindra Jadeja. (© IDI via Getty Images) Ravindra Jadeja struggled with his form last year and was dropped from the team in all formats as a result. Consequently, he was demoted from Grade B to Grade C this year. However, on back of some solid Ranji Trophy performances, he has now made a comeback in the Test team and is one of the best performers in the on-going series. 23. Lokesh Rahul – 25 lakhs: KL Rahul. (Photo Source: AFP) Lokesh Rahul has showed his potential in the limited opportunities he has got to play in Tests. He is definitely an emerging talent. The Karnataka batsman is a part of the Grade C contracted players of the BCCI. Rahul also plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. 24. Dhawal Kulkarni – 25 lakhs: Dhawal Kulkarni. (Photo Source: BCCI) The Dhawal Kulkarni made his ODI debut in 2014 and last played for India in July 2015. He is yet to make a mark in his international career. Kulkarni was also retained and was awarded a Grade C contract. 25. Harbhajan Singh – 25 lakhs: Harbhajan Singh. (Photo Source: Associated Press) Harbhajan Singh the man with most Test wickets among current players has found new spirit which has almost revived his paused career. Bhajji is slowly fighting his way back into the team in 2015 after his exclusion in the year 2011. He has a grade C contract. Harbhajan is also a part of the Mumbai Indians team in the IPL. 26. Sreenath Aravind – 25 lakhs: Sreenath Aravind. (© Hindustan Times via Getty Images) The left-arm medium fast bowler from Karnataka has played only one T20I for India after making his debut in October 2015. He was awarded a central contract by BCCI for the first time this year. He was given a grade C contract. Apart from that, he plays for the Royal Challengers Bangalore since the year 2011. Also Read – The 9 Richest Indian cricketerss (Data source: BCCI contracted players list)