The IPL 2020 has brought some relief to cricket starved fans. The 13th edition of the IPL has thrown some big surprises with teams like Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Delhi Capitals dominating. Players salary is always a Talking Point when the performance of the player comes under scrutiny.
Ever since its inception in 2008, IPL has helped thousands of people make a living out of it. The cash-rich league has helped many unsung domestic stars of Indian cricket financially. These cricketers tend to earn more money during the course of the IPL than they do over the course of the remaining year. Some Indian uncapped players in IPL 2020 like Kartik Tyagi, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Varun Chakravarthy have been bought for the handsome amount by their respective franchises. Let’s take a look at some players who earn more than their respective captains.
#1 Sunil Narine
The wily off-spinner has been a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders since the 2012 season. The West Indian all-rounder has a salary of ₹12.5 cr in comparison to ₹ 7.4 earned by his captain Dinesh Karthik.
Narine has failed to justify his hefty price tag having taken just 5 wickets from 6 matches with an economy of over 8 runs per over. He was reported for a suspect action in the game against KXIP and was subsequently dropped in favour of Tom Banton in their next match against RCB. There were big expectations from him with the bat as well but he has failed to get going.
#2 Pat Cummins
The Australian quick was the most expensive signing of IPL 2020. The Knight Riders splurged the cash on him owing to his brilliant performances in Ashes 2019. He was signed for a stunning amount of ₹ 15.5 cr by the two-time IPL champions making him the second most expensive player in IPL history. Cummins take-home salary is more than double of his IPL captain Dinesh Karthik (₹ 7.4cr).
This season started on a disappointing note for the Aussie quick as he was taken to the cleaners by the Mumbai batsmen. He had disappointing match figures of 3-0-49-0. Cummins has made a comeback of sorts after the disappointment of first match. Although he hasn’t been amongst the wickets regularly but his tight opening spell at the top has taken the pressure off other young Indian quicks.
“The players Salary always tend to stir up the pressure”
#3 Rishabh Pant
The dynamic wicket-keeper batsman is one of the most prized assets in Indian cricket. His ability to score runs at a brisk pace has helped his side conjure up wins. Although just 23 years old, Pant has a staggering salary of ₹15 cr. Meanwhile, his slightly more experienced Indian team mate, Shreyas Iyer who captains him in the IPL for the Delhi Capitals has a salary of ₹ 7 cr.
Pant has started this season on a bright note as well. A hamstring injury has ruled him out for a week but the Delhi Capitals fans would be hoping that the south-paw would return to his usual best when he is back on the field.
#4 Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer was bought by RCB last year after some excellent performances in limited-overs cricket against India. However, the move failed to pay dividends as he could only conjure up 90 runs from 5 games last season. He was subsequently let go off by RCB before the auctions this year and was bought by the Delhi Capitals for ₹ 7.75 cr which is a bit more as compared to his captain Shreyas Iyer (₹ 7cr).
Hetmyer started this season on a rough note but has slowly regained the form he has been renowned for. An unfortunate injury to Rishabh Pant has meant that the West Indian had to make way for Alex Carey in the playing XI.
“Players salary do have an impact as the pressure builds on them due to the cash they are getting”
#5 Ben Stokes
The mercurial England all-rounder is probable one of the hottest property in international cricket. His ability to swing matches with both bat and ball means that he is never out of the game. He was retained by the Royals this year for a hefty amount of ₹ 12.5 cr. This meant he currently earns more than his IPL captain Steve Smith (₹12 cr).
Last year, he had a disappointing return, having made just 123 runs and taken 6 wickets from nine matches. Given the form that he has been over the past one year, he was expected to light up the IPL in the UAE. However, Stokes missed the first half of this year’s IPL to spend some time with his ailing dad. The Royals fans would be hoping that the star allrounder can help them in qualifying for the play-offs this year.
