International team captains and their salaries

Over the years, the monetary proposition in the sport of cricket has escalated drastically, to which there are several contributing factors. The increased revenue from advertisements, increase in viewership, social media widening the horizons of the game reaching every peripheral part of the world and other facets have made this sport a lucrative affair.

Not just the country boards, even the players have been benefitting profusely over the years with this drastic change in dynamics. Players these days earn a lot more than what their previous generation cricketers have earned and it just makes the experts wonder how much more can this grow in the coming times.

Whilst most of the cricketers are heavily dependent on the cricket boards for their annual incomes, the case is slightly different when it comes to BCCI and Indian cricketers. Cashing on the cricket-frenzy culture, Indian cricketers earn a lot off the cricket field as well. Although the cricketing contracts for these players are pretty decent, there are many other countries who pay a lot more than what BCCI does.

Here’s a brief review of what the captains across the cricketing world earn from their boards.

1. Virat Kohli – Rs. 58.3 Lakh per month

Arguably the best cricketer in this generation, Virat Kohli scaled immortal heights over the last few years. In January 2017, he became the Indian captain across all formats and the side has been performing pretty decently under their new leader.

The contract system was recently amended and a new category named A+ was added. Kohli was a part of that exclusive club, which fetches him a sum of Rs. 7 Crore per annum (Rs. 58.3 Lakh per month). This is a small portion of his total earnings, which is mostly dominated by his highly remunerative endorsement deals.

Kohli now faces a stern test which probably will play a crucial role in determining his greatness amongst the experts. His Indian side currently is in England for a 2-month long tour which includes a plethora of matches.

2. Joe Root & Eoin Morgan – Rs. 67.8 Lakh per month

England has different players leading the limited overs and the Test side. Whilst Joe Root is the captain of the Test side, Eoin Morgan leads the ODI and T20 side. In the last couple of years, England have been performing brilliantly across all formats which led to an increment in their annual contracts previous December.

Both Morgan and Root earn 900,000 GBP (Rs. 8.13 Crore) per annum, which means they take away Rs. 67.8 Lakh per month. It is also worth noting that the highest paid cricketer in terms of annual contracts is their veteran Alastair Cook, who earns 1.5 Million GBP (Rs. 13 Crore per annum).

Clearly, England leads as far as annual payments are concerned. With their team improving gradually over the last couple of years, it won’t be surprising if these numbers climb the ladder.

3. Kane Williamson – Rs. 28.5 Lakh per month

One of the classiest cricketers in the modern generation, Kane Williamson is defying physics with his improbable batting technique. The Kiwi superstar is currently coming off a mesmerizing IPL campaign with the Sunrisers Hyderabad and his status as one of the best in the business is growing in stature.

Although New Zealand doesn’t have a pretty wealthy cricket board, they do pay a decent sum to their cricketers. Williamson earns 500,000 USD (3.42 Crore) per annum, which means he takes away Rs. 28.5 Lakh every month.

The coming 12 months are going to be very challenging for the 28-year-old. New Zealand, who lost the finals in the 2015 World Cup, will be aiming to go one step further next year in England. For that to happen, this high-flying Kiwi should be doing something very special.

4. Sarfraz Ahmed – Rs. 5 Lakh per month

Political uncertainty in Pakistan has jolted various streams in the country, cricket too is one of the victims. Their revenues have dipped significantly, which enforced them to give away below contracts to their national cricketers.

Sarfraz Ahmed, the captain who led Pakistan to the Champions Trophy glory in 2017, earns a sum of Rs. 5 Lakh per month from the board, which is significantly lesser when compared to Indian or Australian cricketers.

Cricket is making its way back to Pakistan as PCB has already laid a great foundation towards a brighter future. They are trying to persuade teams to visit their country, which is requiring great political permissions as well. If they can revive their old glory, there will be a stark-increment in these players’ salaries as well.

5. Tim Paine – Rs. 57 Lakh per month

Not many know, but Steve Smith held a lucrative worth USD 1.429 Million (Rs. 10 Crore) per annum. Unfortunately for the former Australian skipper, the one year ban imposed by Cricket Australia led to the board scrapping his annual contract as well.

The greatest beneficiary of this incident in monetary terms has to be Tim Paine, who saw a humongous promotion as far as the annual contract is concerned. Since Paine is the captain in ODIs and Tests for Australia, he gets paid a large sum of 1 Million USD (Rs. 6.85 Crore) per annum.

Big Bash League’s monumental success played a big part in Cricket Australia increasing the salaries. Just like England, their players depend heavily on these annual contracts to earn bread.

6. Faf du Plessis – Rs. 25.1 Lakh per month

A team that always has star-studded players in the squad and fans queue up in numbers to watch their stars play, South African Cricket has come a long way in a short span of time. Since their revival in 1991, their board has got bigger and better than what it was previously.

The newly minted skipper across all formats for the Proteas, Faf du Plessis, enjoys a decent annual contract. His national board pays him a terrific 440,000 USD (Rs. 3.01 Crore) per annum, which means he earns around Rs. 25.1 Lakh per month.

South African cricket faces a big challenge in the coming days as they have to prepare for the World Cup next year. They will also have to cope with the absence of their stalwart AB de Villiers, who recently called time on a spectacular career.

7. Graeme Cremer – Rs. 4.9 Lakh per month

In the last 7-8 years, Zimbabweans have suffered a lot because of the terrestrial inflations. It’s not the richest country one can come across, but they certainly have a highly-spirited cricketing who unit, who try to give their best no matter what they’re going through.

It’d be unfair to expect that these players would hold eye-catching contracts. Graeme Cremer, the skipper of Zimbabwe in all three formats, hold an agreement worth 86,000 USD (Rs. 58.9 Lakh) per annum. Only a select few senior players in the side earn this amount, for the rest, it’s considerably less.

Zimbabwe suffered a massive heartbreak as they failed to make it to the World Cup. Although there were good in the Qualifying tournament, there were just 2 vacant slots which got occupied by West Indies and Afghanistan.

8. Dinesh Chandimal & Angelo Mathews – Rs. 18.2 Lakh per month

Sri Lankan cricket has recently announced that there was a significant rise in revenue for the 2017/18 season. This good news persuaded them to increase the salaries of the cricketers by 34%, which must bring a smile on the faces of their players.

Test skipper Dinesh Chandimal and limited overs’ skipper Angelo Mathews earn Rs. 18.2 Lakh per month. Their annual contract helps them yield a decent 320,000 USD (Rs. 2.19 Crore) per annum, which is much better when compared to countries like Pakistan or Zimbabwe.

Sri Lankan cricket is currently facing a catastrophic period. They are unable to get out of the transition phase and the fans too are frustrated. Nevertheless, their board has taken the courageous decision to increase their salaries to boost their morale and it’ll be interesting to see how this move pans out.

9. Jason Holder – Rs. 15.49 Lakh per month

West Indies’ glory days are well behind them, but there’s no one denying that they can get back to where they would love to be. It seems like they’re resigned to a fact that T20 is their forte and they are focusing highly on that aspect. That attitude has not helped the board financially in the last decade or so.

Once there was a time when the Windies cricketers did receive great salaries and match fees, but now, the sum has fallen down drastically. Their skipper Jason Holder, who has been around for quite a while now, holds a contract which fetches him 270,000 USD per annum (Rs. 1.85 Crore).

Windies had to play the Qualifying tournament to get into the World Cup, something they are oblivious to. But if they can provide a good performance, their fates (financially) can change.