Indian cricketers’ 2025 salaries revealed under new contracts

As the Indian Premier League (IPL) heats up with players vying not only for franchise glory but also for spots in India’s T20 World Cup squad, the financial stakes have risen just as sharply.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Monday announced revised central contracts, further boosting the earnings of the country’s elite cricketers, many of whom are already among the world’s highest-paid athletes.

The contracts, structured across four categories, ensure substantial annual retainers: Grade A+ players will receive INR70 million (US$820,000), while Grade A players are set to earn INR50 million, Grade B INR30 million, and Grade C INR10 million.

In addition to these retainers, players also receive match fees: INR1.5 million (US$17,500) per Test, INR600,000 for a One Day International, and INR300,000 for a T20 International.

Test specialists will benefit from an additional incentive scheme, those who participate in more than 75% of India’s Test matches in a season will earn a bonus of INR4.5 million per match.

The announcement comes at a pivotal moment, as IPL performances increasingly influence World Cup selections. With the tournament set to be hosted in India early next year, the current IPL season offers players a dual opportunity: to lift the league trophy and to book their place on cricket’s grandest T20 stage.

Though the figures exclude IPL match fees and on-field bonuses, the combined earnings from the league and national duty underscore the immense financial rewards at stake in India’s modern cricket ecosystem.

Indian cricketers with highest salaries:

1. Rishabh Pant: INR270 million (IPL) & INR50m (India contract) – Total contract INR320m ($3.74m)

2. Shreyas Iyer: INR267.5m (IPL) & INR30m (India contract) – INR297.5m ($3.48m)

3. Virat Kohli: INR210m (IPL) & INR70m (India contract) – INR280m ($3.27m)

4. Ravindra Jadeja: INR180m (IPL) & INR70m (India contract) – INR250m ($2.92m)

5. Jasprit Bumrah: INR180m (IPL) & INR70m (India contract) – INR250m ($2.92m)

6. Rohit Sharma: INR163m (IPL) & INR70m (India contract) – INR233m ($2.72m)

7. Shubman Gill: INR165m (IPL) & INR50m (India contract) – INR215m ($2.51m)

8. Hardik Pandya: INR163.5m (IPL) & INR50m (India contract) – INR213.5m ($2.5m)

9. Yashasvi Jaiswal: INR180m (IPL) & INR30m (India contract) – INR210m ($2.45m)

10. Axar Patel: INR165m (IPL) & INR30m (India contract) – INR195m ($2.28m)

11. Suryakumar Yadav: INR163.5m (IPL) & INR30m (India contract) – INR193.5m ($2.26m)

12. KL Rahul: INR140m (IPL) & INR50m (India contract) – INR190m ($2.22m)

13. Sanju Samson: INR180m (IPL) & INR10m (India contract) – INR190m ($2.22m)

14. Arshdeep Singh: INR180m (IPL) & INR10m (India contract) – INR190m ($2.22m)

15. Ruturaj Gaikwad: INR180m (IPL) & INR10m (India contract) – INR190m ($2.22m)

16. Mohammad Siraj: INR122.5m (IPL) & INR50m (India contract) – INR172.5 ($2m)

17. Kuldeep Yadav: INR132.5m (IPL) & INR30m (India contract) – INR162.5 ($1.9m)

18. Abhishek Sharma: INR140m (IPL) & INR10m (India contract) – INR150m ($1.75m)

19. Dhruv Jurel: INR140m (IPL) & INR10m (India contract) – INR150m ($1.75m)

20. Rinku Singh: INR130m (IPL) & INR10m (India contract) – INR140m ($1.63m)