The Indian Premier League (IPL) features the best cricketers on earth, and one of the reasons why the players prioritize playing in this competition is the huge amount of money involved. Every year, the franchises splurge crores of rupees to sign the match-winners in the auction.
In T20 cricket, the demand for all-rounders is a bit higher than the other formats. If a player can scored 30-40 runs and even give four decent overs with the ball, he can fit in any T20 team of the planet. Generally, the fans witness intense bidding wars for the all-rounders in the auction.
As a result, they end up getting big pay-checks. Over the last 13 years, many all-rounders have entered the auction and gained grand contracts. Here’s a look at the five multi-talented stars who have made the most money from the league.
(Source – MoneyBall)
#5 Chris Gayle – 56.56 Crores
Caribbean all-rounder Chris Gayle is considered by many as the greatest T20 player of all time. The Universe Boss recently became the first batsman to smash 1000 sixes in T20 cricket. Apart from destroying the bowlers with his big hits, Gayle can also roll his arm and bowl a few off-breaks.
In the last 13 years, he has represented the Kolkata Knight Riders, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. His most expensive contract was worth 7.5 Crores which RCB offered him in 2014. Currently, he earns 2 Crores per season to play for KXIP.
#4 Ravichandran Ashwin – 64.89 Crores
Ravichandran Ashwin started his IPL career at the Chennai Super Kings in 2008. He earned merely 36 lakhs from the Chennai Super Kings in the first three seasons. However, after his magnificent performances, he got a contract worth almost 4 Crores from the same franchise.
His salary rose to 7.5 Crores by the 2014 season, and currently, the Delhi Capitals pay him 7.6 Crores for his services.
#3 Kieron Pollard – 69.13 Crores
Another West Indian name to feature on this list of the Mumbai Indians’ vice-captain, Kieron Pollard. The hard-hitting batsman has played many match-winning knocks for the Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise in the IPL.
He also bowls right-arm medium pace and often picks up the important wickets. Pollard earned a whopping 9.5 Crores per season from 2015 to 2017, but his current salary is 5.4 Crores. The all-rounder led the team in the absence of regular captain Rohit Sharma this year. Pollard has played a huge role in MI’s journey to the IPL 2020 final.
#2 Ravindra Jadeja – 70 Crores
Chennai Super Kings’ star Ravindra Jadeja holds the number one position among the Indian all-rounders when it comes to earning the maximum money from IPL contracts. Jadeja started his career with the Rajasthan Royals, with his salary being 12 lakhs for the first two seasons
The 2012 Auction proved to be a bumper one for the Saurashtra-born all-rounder as he got a deal worth 9.2 Crores from the Chennai-based franchise. The Gujarat Lions paid him 9.5 Crores during the 2017 season, while CSK are currently paying him 7 Crores per season. Nicknamed as Sir Jadeja, the southpaw was one of the few positives from CSK’s dismal campaign in the United Arab Emirates.
#1 Shane Watson – 77.13 Crores
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson announced his retirement from IPL after the 2020 season culminated. The former Aussie captain ended his career as the highest-paid all-rounder in IPL history. Watson played for three teams in his career, namely the Rajasthan Royals, the Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the Chennai Super Kings.
He earned a whopping 12.50 crores from the Jaipur-based franchise during the 2014 and 2015 seasons. His value decreased a bit as he passed his prime, but Watson still gave his best on the field. The IPL fans will never forget the way he destroyed the Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack in the IPL 2018 Final.
