Top 10 Highest paid coaches in cricket currently

Cricket is a game of mind and strategies as much as it is a sport of passion and enthusiasm. For a cricket team to be successful, apart from a pool of talented and devoted players, effective leadership is required. The leadership of a cricket team is constituted by the coaching staff and the captain. Almost every major cricketing team has a coaching staff complete with the Head Coach as well as separate batting, bowling and fielding coaches.

In modern-day cricket, the success of a team is directly attributed to the decision making abilities of the skipper and the head coach. Needless to say, the importance of a head coach in the present scenario has increased manifold. Usually, the head coach of a team is an experienced campaigner who is well-versed with the delicate situations faced by players in a match. His role is to guide the captain in order to help him in making effective decisions for the team.

The importance of a head coach in this present situation is reflected in their remuneration as well. Nowadays, coaches receive much more money than they used to receive a few years back which has made this position much more lucrative. Here we will discuss the top 10 highest paid coaches currently.

(All annual figures are approximate and are collected from various sources)

10. Lalchand Rajput (INR 35.8 Lakhs) – Zimbabwe

The 58-year-old former Indian cricketer is the head coach of the Zimbabwe National Cricket team. Although he did not play much International Cricket, he has earned a lot of experience coaching national teams. He was appointed as head coach of the African nation in 2018.

After his retirement, he took up many coaching positions. He was the manager of the Indian team which lifted the T20 World Cup in 2007. He has also coached India A team for a while. Before taking over as a head coach of Zimbabwe Cricket team, he was the head coach of Afghanistan’s national team from 2016 to 2018.

The cricketing structure in Zimbabwe is just on the verge of collapsing. Rajput has a lot of work to do in restructuring their team and filling in all the gaps. It is reported that he receives a salary of Rs. 35.8 Lakhs as a coach.

9. Phil Simmons (INR 64.5 Lakhs) – Afghanistan

The former Caribbean all-rounder has been allotted the role of Head Coach of the West Indies cricket team. The player from Trinidad replaced the interim coach Floyd Reifer who had been appointed after the former coach Richard Pybus was sacked just ahead of the World Cup 2019. He was appointed at the position in October 2019.

This is Simmons’ second stint with the Caribbeans. He initially coached them during 2015-16 and even led them to the title of World T20 2016. However, he was sacked soon afterwards ‘due to differences in culture and strategic approach’. He was also the head coach of the Afghanistan Cricket Team during 2017-19 and that of Zimbabwe during 2004-05.

Needless to say, he has a huge experience in the field of coaching. He started his second stint with the Caribbean’s too on a winning note by getting a victory in the ODI series and the one-off Test against Afghanistan. According to reports, he receives a salary of Rs. 64.5 lakh rupees per annum.

8. Mark Boucher (INR 1.05 Crore) – South Africa

The former South African Wicket-keeper batsman is remembered as the most successful wicket-keeper of all time. He affected an astonishing 999 dismissals in his International career. However, an untimely eye-injury in 2012 forced him to quit all forms of cricket in 2012. He is one of the most admired and respected personalities in the African nation.

He was appointed as the Proteas’ coach in December 2019 when he replaced the previous coach Ottis Gibson. He has signed a the end of 2023. He was appointed as a coach during the overhaul of cricket administration in South Africa late last year. He hasn’t had the best of starts to his career as South Africa lost the home test series against England.

The legendary Wicket-keeper never got the chance to captain the Proteas’ national cricket team. Thus, he would be keen on making most of the opportunities given to him as a head coach to showcase his leadership skills. He reportedly receives a salary of just over 1 Crore Rupees per annum.

7. Russell Domingo (INR 1.29 Crore) – Bangladesh

The South African cricketer is again an experienced player as well as a coach. He is currently the head coach of the Bangladesh National Cricket team. He was appointed to this position in August 2019 when he replaced Steve Rhodes. He also coached the South African National Cricket team during 2013 to 2017.

Bangladesh had a disappointing World Cup campaign as they were unable to qualify for the Semi-finals. Despite showing a lot of character in the games they played, they fell well short of points required to qualify. Rhodes’ tenure was cut-short after Bangladesh failed to live up to their expectations in the World Cup 2019.

Domingo is set to have a tough time ahead in preparing this Bangladeshi team for the challenges they are expected to face in the coming World T20 as well as the World Test Championship. He is expected to improve their bowling line-up which lacks fire and also works on the performance of the all-rounders. Reportedly, Domingo is paid an amount of approximately Rs. 1.3 crore as his salary.

6. Gary Stead (INR 1.73 Crore) – New Zealand

The former New Zealand batsman is currently the Head Coach of his National cricket team. He was appointed to this role in August 2018 when he replaced the experienced Mike Hesson. He comes from a cricketing family which undoubtedly made his ties to the game even stronger.

He already has a quite successful stint as a Head Coach. Under his leadership, The BlackCaps managed to reach the finals of World Cup 2019 by defeating a spirited Indian side in the Semi-finals. He had also led the White Ferns (New Zealand’s women cricket team) to the finals in the 2009 Women’s world cup.

After Mike Hesson stepped down, Stead was already a favorite to replace him. He has managed to make a formidable duo with the captain Kane Williamson. According to various reports, Stead receives an amount of approximately 1.73 Crore rupees as his remuneration which makes him the sixth highest-paid coach in the world.

5. Misbah-ul-Haq (INR 1.79 Crore) – Pakistan

The former Pakistan batsman became the head coach of the Cricket team of his homeland in September 2019. He signed a 3-year contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board. Interestingly, he was also appointed as a Chief Selector along with being a Coach. It was the first time in the history of Pakistan Cricket than a single person held both the top positions. His appointment in these dual roles stirred up a lot of controversies.

People criticized his appointment as they considered him to be a ‘yes man’ who cedes to the whims of the cricket board. However, he silenced all his critics by starting his stint with a 2-0 victory in an ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, after that, they suffered a whitewash in the T20I series against Sri Lanka and were defeated 2-0 by Australia as well. Australia also clean swept the Test series against them.

The legendary cricketer has been entrusted with a lot of responsibility in reconstructing the Pakistani National team. Reportedly, he receives Rs. 1.79 crore for his job as a Head Coach which is the 5th highest in the world.

4. Mickey Arthur (INR 3.44 Crore) – Sri Lanka

The former South African cricketer is one of the most successful and experienced coaches in the International Arena. Though he has not played International Cricket, he is well-versed with the situations players face which makes him a great asset as a coach. He is presently the Head Coach of the Sri Lankan Cricket team. Before taking up this role, he was the head coach of Pakistan’s national cricket team for about 3 years.

Under his leadership, Pakistan managed to win the Champions Trophy in 2017. However, after a dismal World Cup in 2019, he was replaced by Misbah-ul-Haq. However, even after his arrival to the island nation, he has been impressive. He also coached the South African cricket team from 2005 to 2010 and the Australian Cricket team till 2013.

He replaced Chandika Hathurusingha as the Head Coach in December 2019. Hathurusingha reportedly had a fall-out with the administration and Arthur was appointed as the Head Coach without discharging Hathurusingha which became a source of controversy. Arthur is currently the fourth highest-paid coach getting approximately Rs. 3.5 Crore as remuneration.

3. Chris Silverwood (INR 4.65 Crore) – England

The 44-year-old former England pacer is the current head coach of the England and Wales’ national cricket team. He was initially appointed as a fast-bowling coach in January 2018 which paid huge dividends. He was subsequently appointed as the Head Coach in October 2019 following the end of Trevor Bayliss’ tenure. His appointment received a lot of attention as he was set to replace a world cup winning coach for England.

The ECB’s director of cricket, Ashley Giles has shown immense faith in the capabilities of Silverwood. He has been praised for ‘his excellent communication skills’ and his successful tenure as a Head coach for the Essex county cricket team. Silverwood’s task has been cut-out for the beginning as he has to succeed as a highly accomplished coach.

Under his leadership, England has managed to defeat South Africa in a 4 match test series at their home. England became a potent bowling unit during his tenure as a bowling coach. Now, as a head coach, they are becoming one of the most feared cricketing teams across the globe. He reportedly receives a salary of 500,000 pounds which translates to approximately 4.65 Crore rupees.

2. Justin Langer (INR 4.6- 5 Crore) – Australia

The former left-handed batsman from Australia is presently the head coach of their cricket team. He was given this opportunity in May 2018 when he replaced Darren Lehmann for the role. Langer is said to have immense mental strength. Such clarity of mind, resoluteness, and determination are some of the pre-requisites of a leadership role.

The 1.78m tall former Australian batsman had to face a new challenge right at the beginning of his stint as a head coach for the Australian National team. The sandpaper gate scandal had just rocked the whole cricketing world and the Australian team had to regain its lost reputation. The ban on the then skipper Steve Smith and David Warner made matters worse for the team. However, Langer adopted a never-say-die attitude and started the rebuilding process.

Under his leadership, Australia managed to affect one of the most interesting turnarounds in the history of cricket as they defeated India at their home after trailing in the 5 match series by 2-0. More importantly, this victory came with a second-string squad as most of the senior players were unavailable for the ODI series. Langer is currently the second highest-paid coach, reportedly getting a salary of 4.6 – 5 Crore rupees.

1. Ravi Shastri (INR 9.5 -10 Crore) – India

The Head Coach of the Indian cricket team is the highest-paid among all the modern-day cricket coaches. He was appointed as a head coach for the nation in July 2017 by a Cricket Advisory Committee comprising of big names like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly. He replaced Anil Kumble who reportedly had a fall-out with the skipper Virat Kohli. Unlike his predecessor, Shastri is seen to share a good rapport with the current Indian captain.

Since his arrival, Team India has made some giant strides in International Cricket. They defeated Australia for the first time in their own backyard during the series Down Under in 2018/19. Also, Jasprit Bumrah became the deadly bowler he is today under the guidance of Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri. However, the Indian cricket team is yet to make a mark in any ICC event under his mentorship.

Upon his appointment, Shastri had signed a contract which gave him Rs. 8 crore per annum as his salary. However, reportedly, when he got an extension in 2019, his salary has been hiked and he will now get about Rs. 10 crore as his remuneration. Clearly, his salary is much more than the combined salary of many other coaches.