Top 5 highest paid Indian cricketers in terms of IPL salary and BCCI central contract

Rishabh Pant overtakes Virat Kohli as India’s highest paid cricketer (Source – Getty Images)

Rishabh Pant overtook Virat Kohli for Indian player with major earnings from cricket alone. Notably, the star wicketkeeper-batter became the highest-ever paid cricketer in the Indian Premier League. He was released by the Delhi Capitals (DC) ahead of IPL 2025 mega auctions. He was therefore bought by Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for a staggering INR 27 crore (Indian rupees) creating a whole new record in the history of the lucrative league. Not only has he surpassed previous record holder Pat Cummins for the highest salary in IPL, but he has overtaken star India batter Virat Kohli in another respect.

Rishabh Pant is now the highest-earning cricketer from the cricketing commitments only. He earned a whopping INR 30 crore from his cricketing shenanigans over the years, therefore, surpassing the former India Captain, who earns INR 28 crore annually. It is worth noting that, the duo earn a major chunk of the amount from the central contract by BCCI and their IPL salary, which plays a major role when it comes to income from cricket.

Interestingly, as per CNBCTV18, in this list, Shreyas Iyer could have been included, given his mind-boggling IPL salary of INR 26.75 crore. However, as the Mumbai-based batter currently does not hold a BCCI central contract, the India Test Captain Rohit Sharma displaces him to claim the fifth spot. As a result, after Kohli, pacer Jasprit Bumrah, and all rounder Ravindra Jadeja are currently the highest earners in Indian cricket.

Also Check- IPL 2025: Jitesh Sharma leapfrogs Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer to achieve 5,500 percent salary hike in mega auction

Top Indian players’ total earnings when IPL Salary and BCCI Contract combined