Top 10 Highest-Paid Cricketers in the World by Salary
These cricketers get awarded the most for their skills and popularity.
With the ever-increasing popularity of the game across the continents, cricket is growing rapidly worldwide. It has directly impacted the revenue in the game as the T20 leagues are successfully bringing the moolah for the investors and promoters. Furthermore, the cricket boards are also earning a lot more than what they used to earn in the past.
Furthermore, the value of broadcasting and digital rights has soared up to the sky alongside the brand endorsements price. Recently, the Indian Premier League became the second-most expensive league in the world in terms of broadcasting and digital rights after the English Premier League. It surpassed the likes of the NBA, NFL, and La Liga.
With the massive amounts of money flowing into cricket, the players are also getting richer and earning massive paycheques. In this post, we will talk about the top ten highest-paid cricketers in the world. However, we will only include the salary these players receive from their respective boards and exclude the fee they receive for playing in the various T20 leagues across the globe.
10. Jos Buttler – USD 41.5K/Month
The hard-hitting wicketkeeper is currently serving as the skipper of the English cricket team in the ODIs and T20Is. His stature as the batter has also grown massively in recent years. England recently won T20 World Cup 2022 under his leadership. However, Buttler is not a part of England’s Test team and hence, he only has a white-ball contract with the ECB.
9. Joe Root – USD 54K/Month
The former skipper is arguably the greatest English batter of all time and is certainly a modern-day legend. However, with England’s approach of two different teams in red and white-ball formats, Joe Root has been only limited to Test cricket only. Nevertheless, it hasn’t affected his value in English cricket courtesy of the ECB’s preference to Test cricket. As per reports, Joe Root holds the second-biggest contract in the English team worth over USD 54000/month.
8. Ben Stokes – USD 62.5K/Month
The newly-appointed England’s Test skipper has taken the cricketing world by storm alongside the coach Brendon McCullum with their aggressive approach. However, the all-rounder has already retired from ODI cricket to focus on Test and T20I cricket. Ben Stokes was pivotal for England in the T20 World Cup final victory. The skipper alongside the bonuses holds the biggest central contract in English cricket. Reportedly, he currently earns USD 62500/month.
7. Jasprit Bumrah – USD 70.5K/Month
The ace pacer from India was promoted to the vice-captain of the side in Test cricket. Despite his struggles with injury in the last year, Jasprit Bumrah is a vital cog in Indian cricket. He is currently one of only three cricketers who holds an A+ contract from the BCCI. The right-arm pacer earns INR 7 crore annually – in excess of USD 70500/month.
6. Rohit Sharma – USD 70.5/K Month
The Indian skipper in all formats is the pillar of the Indian batting unit alongside Virat Kohli. In the last couple of years, the Hitman has grown his stature as a Test batter as well and he currently is the best opener in world cricket across formats. While Rohit Sharma earns a lot more than foreign players courtesy of his massive IPL contract, he holds an A+ contract from the BCCI that earns him INR 7 crore – USD 70.5k/month.
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5. Virat Kohli – USD 70.5K/Month
Virat Kohli is the true global superstar of cricket and one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. He is certainly the highest-earning cricketer on the planet if we include all of his earnings. However, here we are only considering the salaries of the players from the respective cricket boards. Virat Kohli holds an A+ contract from the BCCI and earns more than USD 70.5k/month.
4. Marnus Labuschagne – USD 100K/Month
The right-handed batter has made a name for himself within a small timeframe. He has grown into Australia’s most vital batter alongside Steven Smith in Test cricket. Furthermore, Marnus Labuschagne is also the current numero uno batter in the ICC Test batting rankings. The CA has rewarded the batter with a hefty USD 1.2 million contract annually. Hence, his earnings stand at USD 100k/per month currently.
3. Steven Smith – USD 108K/Month
One-quarter of the Fab-4, Steven Smith is arguably the best modern-day batter in Test cricket. Averaging in the north of 60 in Test cricket, the right-handed batter has re-written the books of consistency. Steve Smith used to be the highest earner in the Australian cricket side but he has fallen a couple of places in the latest central contracts. Currently, Steven Smith holds an annual contract worth USD 1.3 million with the CA. If we break his income monthly then he is earning approximately USD 108.3k/month.
2. David Warner – USD 125K/Month
David Warner has already entered the twilight of his career but he still remains one of the most vital players for the Aussie across the formats. The left-handed southpaw plays all formats for the Kangaroos and hence, he holds a massive central contract worth USD 1.5 million. As per the central contracts for 2022, David Warner earns USD 125k/month.
1. Pat Cummins – USD 166K/Month
The new Aussie Test skipper Pat Cummins is currently the highest-paid cricketer in the world. He plays all formats for Australia and holds a central contract worth a whopping USD 2 million, including a 200k captaincy bonus. The right-handed pacer remains Australia’s highest-earning player for the second year in a row as well. On breaking his annual salary, he earns USD 166.6K/month.
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