From Virat Kohli to Hardik Pandya: These are the highest paid players in India’s T20 World Cup squad

Cricket has always been a flamboyant sport. And, the T20 World Cup, which was inaugurated by the Indian victory back in 2007, is back in search of another new winner this year. While India are poised as one of the favourites to lift the ICC trophy that has evaded them after the initial triumph, other teams pose tough opponents too. 

The Indian team, which is loaded with leaders of their individual IPL teams – India’s cash-rich T20 domestic league – has multiple match winners in the squad. And since the BCCI is the richest board in world cricket, these players naturally draw hefty paychecks. 

Let’s befriend you with the richest Indian cricketers of the current squad at the T20 World Cup 2021.

Virat Kohli

Understandably, the brand that Virat Kohli, built over the years, earns him the top spot on this list. 

Not just that, the former Indian captain  is one of the top players in the world and hence earns himself a spot in the A+ BCCI contract. He's also the highest-paid player of his IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore. While his BCCI salary earns him Rs 7 crore annually, his IPL fees have been calculated at Rs 17 crore. Kohli has an estimated net worth of Rs 638 crore, way more than any cricketer in the Indian (or foreign) contingent.

Rohit Sharma

The current Indian captain and a super successful leader for the Mumbai Indians, Rohit Sharma takes the second spot among richest Indian cricket players. Apart from Kohli and Bumrah, Rohit Sharma is the only other player in the BCCI A+ category, earning Rs 7 crore, annually. His IPL fee was recorded at Rs 15 crore this year. With his businesses and endorsements, Rohit Sharma’s net worth is estimated to be Rs 170 crore.

R Ashwin 

Ravichandran Ashwin is almost like a legend in Indian 20-over cricket. Moving from CSK to Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League the experienced off-spinner earned a fee of Rs 7.6 crore for his services. His BCCI contract earns him Rs 5 crore, while his overall net worth is Rs 112 crore

Hardik Pandya

India would be banking on Hardik Pandya to come up with the goods if they are to lift the T20 World Cup 2022. His BCCI contract earns him Rs 3 crore. The heavy spender who has a rich collection of luxury watches, cars and apparel is among the richest Indian cricketers with a net worth of Rs 29.9 crore.

BCCI’s contract list is divided into four categories - A+, A, B and C. Those under A+ grade will earn Rs 7 crore annually, while those awarded A grade will make Rs 5 crore. Cricketers slotted in B and C grades will draw Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively.

Normally, it is the three office-bearers, five selectors and the national head coach, who decide retainerships.

Let’s look at the complete list of players in each of the four grades.

A+ Grade - Rs 7 crore - Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and Rohit Sharma.

A Grade – Rs 5 crore - Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Mohammed Shami, Ishant Sharma and Hardik Pandya.

B Grade – Rs 3 crore - Wriddhiman Saha, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur and Mayanak Aggarwal.

C Grade – Rs 1 crore - Kuldeep Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Axar Patel, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammed Siraj.

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