How Much Do Cricketers Really Make from Central Contracts?

(Virat Kohli celebrating his century in ICC World Cup 2023)

Cricket has not just been a game as it has evolved into a big business for the players. The most common ways in which the big stars in the cricket field are able to earn money is through the Central contracts, offered to them by their national cricket board in playing International Cricket for their country. Since all the countries have different pay for their players, we will be having a look at the highest-paid cricketers in each country with their Central contracts. From the streets of India to the fields of England, these cricket stars are able to make a huge amount of money with the help of their Central contracts. For many players, it is not just about money, as they are able to grab the opportunity and perform well for their country. Let's have a look at the highest-paid cricketers in each country through the Central contracts.

1. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is the highest-paid International cricketer in India, being paid 7 crore rupees per year by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). King Kohli has been representing the country for a long time and has also been a part of the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 and ICC World Cup 2011 winning squad. Along with that, Virat Kohli also earns approximately 15 crore Indian rupees per Indian Premier League season from his franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore.

(Virat Kohli after his first T20I century against Afghanistan)

Holding enormous records under his name, Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the highest-paid cricketer in the Indian cricket team. He holds the Grade A+ contract for the team and has been the key performer in the recent ICC World Cup 2023, being the highest run-scorer in the tournament.

2. Pat Cummins

The ICC World Cup 2023 and World Test Championship 2021-23 winning captain is the highest-paid cricketer in the Australian cricket team through the Central contract. He receives approximately 1.8 million to 2.03 million US dollars (approximately 15 to 17 crore Indian rupees) every year through his Central contract. This even includes a Captain bonus of 200 thousand US dollars, as Cummins has shown great potential for the team when it comes to captaincy.

(Pat Cummins with the ICC World Cup 2023 trophy)

Although Cummins shares the Grade in the central contract with several other players like Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa, Steven Smith, and a few others, he is paid higher because of the captain bonus provided by the Cricket Australia board. After his astonishing captaincy skills, Pat Cummins also became the captain of the IPL team, Sunrisers Hyderabad, after the team bought him in the auction for 20 crore Indian rupees (approximately 2.39 million US dollars), being the second highest auctioned player in the Indian Premier League.

3. Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes, the impressive all-rounder and captain for the England cricket team, is the highest-paid cricketer in terms of central contract in England. Stokes is paid approximately 8.7 lakh euros every year (7.75 crore Indian rupees). Being the captain of the team, Ben Stokes has also helped England to grab the Bazball title in the Test format, devastating the opponents with their aggressive play style in the Test format.

(Ben Stokes celebrating his century against Australia)

In the 2019 ICC World Cup final against New Zealand, Ben Stokes played an impressive 84 runs knock which helped England to lift the World Cup trophy. Stokes is also known for his impressive performances against Australia in the Ashes series, which kept the game close for both teams. He also holds the record for most sixes in an International Test career, with 128 sixes.

4. Babar Azam

Babar Azam or Bobby, has been a dominant player for the Pakistan Cricket team, performing well with the bat and his captaincy skills for the team. This has helped Babar Azam to be the highest-paid cricketer under the Pakistan Cricket Board central contract, being paid 4.5 million Pakistani rupees every month or approximately 13.50 lakh Indian rupees every month.

(Babar Azam after scoring a century against England)

This means that Babar Azam is paid 1.62 crores every year from his Central contract by the Pakistan Cricket Board. Babar Azam has played a crucial role for the Pakistan Cricket team, being the captain and leading the team across the ICC tournaments and Asia Cup while also reaching the knockouts of some tournaments. His most memorable run in the tournament as Pakistan's captain was in the ICC World Cup 2022, where Pakistan finished as the runners-up.

5. Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan, or the spin King, is the highest paid International cricketer in Afghanistan, via the Central Contracts. He is paid approximately 73 to 75 lakh Indian rupees per annum for his contribution to the team across the different formats. Although Afghanistan plays less across the Test format, Rashid Khan is still able to bring out his experience to the game and help the team perform well.

(Rashid Khan bowling in the T20 World Cup 2022)

In the ICC World Cup 2023, Rashid Khan played an important role in helping Afghanistan reach close to the playoffs but the team unfortunately fell short by just a few points. Bringing experience and dedication to the team, Rashid Khan is also among the top paid International players in the Indian Premier League, where he plays for Gujarat Giants.

6. Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan is among the few cricketers from the Bangladesh Cricket team, who receive a fixed amount of salary from the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He receives 70 lakh Bangladeshi Taka or approximately 53.5 lakh Indian rupees every year from his Central contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He has also been among the few Bangladesh players who have been ranked number 1 across the ICC rankings, holding the first rank among the All-rounder list across all three formats.

(Shakib Al Hasan celebrating after taking a wicket)

Shakib Al Hasan was a part of the Indian Premier League in the 2023 season, where Kolkata Knight Riders retained him for 1.5 crore Indian rupees. His partnership along with Mushfiqur Rahim in the 2019 World Cup for the third wicket is remembered, as they scored 142 runs for the same, making the record of highest partnership for Bangladesh in any World Cup.

7. Jason Holder

Jason Holder is the highest-paid cricketer for the West Indies cricket team, receiving approximately 2.08 crores every year from the Central contract. Holder was also a part of the West Indies squad, which won the ICC T20 World Cup 2016, playing an important role for the team with both bat and ball.

(Jason Holder after taking a four-wicket haul)

He has been an impressive all-rounder for the team, due to which Jason Holder also had the top spot in the ICC all-rounder rankings in January 2019. At the time when Jason Holder was given the captaincy for the West Indies cricket team, he was just 23 years old which also made him the youngest captain across the International format.