The Indian Premier League (IPL) is indeed the greatest platform for a player to showcase his talent and earn the desired recognition for himself. The current superstars of the game have all earned their reputation by performing exceedingly well for their respective franchises and now have become mainstays for them. Naturally, their worth has augmented with every passing season of the IPL and at the moment, it has reached an all-time high. We will be focusing on the top earners in the present article. In the below piece, we look at the top 10 highest earning batsmen in the history of IPL:
1. MS Dhoni
India’s greatest white-ball captain and one of the successful skippers at the IPL, Dhoni tops the list of highest-earning batsmen in the history of the league. His total IPL income is ₹ 1,528,400,000 and even after his retirement, it has continued to rise. His astute leadership qualities and brilliant finishing skills compel the CSK owners to retain and invest in him. Though his returns with the bat might have diminished in the last few years, the prospect of him playing an inspirational knock for the team cannot be ruled out and thus, cricket fanatics should watch out for him in every encounter that CSK plays in IPL 2021.
2. Rohit Sharma
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The most successful captain in the history of IPL, Rohit Sharma comes second in the list of highest-earning batsmen at the IPL. His total IPL income is ₹ 1,466,000,000, which has lot to do with his successful captaincy stint with MI. He may not have been at his best performing with the bat for the franchise, but his ‘never say die’ attitude as a skipper has helped the team come out of difficult situations and win crucial encounters. The confidence which he has instilled in his team members has done wonders for them and thus, we see so many cricketers from the franchise going onto represent the nation. Skipper Rohit and his men are chasing a unique record of winning 3 titles on the bounce and if that materializes, the man will etch his name forever in cricketing folklore.
3. Virat Kohli
India’s current skipper across the three formats, and heart and soul of the RCB franchise, Kohli is the third-highest earning batsman in the history of IPL. His total IPL income is ₹ 1,432,000,000 and needless to say, it will keep on rising till the man is around. RCB might have not won a single title, but Kohli has always put his best foot forward for the franchise as a batsman and skipper. He along with de Villiers have shouldered the responsibility of doing the bulk of the scoring for the team and propelling them to daunting totals. If the duo can procure some assistance from other key players in the squad, their maiden title is here to come.
4. Suresh Raina
The second-most important player in the CSK line-up after Dhoni, Mr IPL Suresh Raina comes fourth in this list of highest earning batsmen in the history of IPL. The southpaw’s total IPL income is ₹ 1,107,400,000 and that is bound to increase with every passing season, given Raina’s vast international and IPL experience. Owing to his absence last season, CSK missed a quality player in the middle-order, who could steady the ship in case of early wickets. Not just that, the franchise endured their worst season in the history of IPL, bowing out before the coveted playoffs. With him back for IPL 2021, CSK can hope to surpass the playoffs hurdle with ease and then go onto lift their 4th IPL trophy.
5. AB de Villiers
One of the greatest white-ball batsmen and lifeline of the current RCB set-up, de Villiers is the fifth highest-earning batsman in the history of IPL. The modern-day genius has a total IPL income of ₹ 1,025,165,000 and RCB won’t hesitate to add to it till he is around playing the game. Despite his retirement from international cricket, de Villiers hasn’t looked edgy turning up for the franchise and instead won plenty of games for them batting in the middle-order or lower. His 360° stroke-play and ability to read the game situation brilliantly, has seen the man do superhuman things for RCB and given the start, the franchise has obtained this season, it may well materialize into them winning their maiden title.
6. Gautam Gambhir
The architect of India’s 2007 and 2011 World Cup triumphs and one of the successful skippers at the IPL, Gambhir comes sixth in the list of highest-earning batsmen in the history of the league. His total IPL income is ₹ 946,200,000, and it had a lot to do with his consistent contributions at the top of the order and proactive captaincy. Known as the bowler’s captain, Gambhir brought the best out of his spinners and quality pacers playing at the iconic ground of Eden’s Garden, Kolkata and saw his team win 2 titles in 2012 and 2014. Just like Rohit, Gambhir too believed in the dictum ‘It’s never over till its over’ and thus, we saw KKR defending low totals and giving the top-rated franchises a run for their money.
7. Yuvraj Singh
India’s greatest match-winner and one of the costliest buy in the history of IPL, Yuvraj comes seventh with respect to highest-earning batsmen at the league. His total IPL income is ₹ 846,050,000, but unfortunately, the man couldn’t justify the exorbitant amounts paid to him each season of the IPL. Unlike his performance for India, both as a finisher and middle-overs wicket-taker, Yuvraj wasn’t able to exhibit his skills playing for different franchises at the IPL. The pressure of the price tag probably got the better of him and thus, we could witness only sparks of brilliance from the southpaw playing at the lucrative league.
8. Robin Uthappa
One of the quality stroke-makers playing at the league, Uthappa is eighth on the list of highest-earning batsmen in the history of IPL. His total IPL income is ₹ 782,767,000, having earned it during his prime playing for RCB and KKR. Fallen out of favour for selection into the national team way before, Uthappa is craving for the much-needed game time to succeed at the IPL. Having shown flashes of brilliance opening the innings for RR last year, he has been traded to CSK for the ongoing season of IPL. We are yet to see the man playing a game in the yellow jersey and given recent failures for Gaikwad, that day doesn’t seems too far.
9. Shane Watson
One of the most successful foreign players featuring at the league, Watson is ranked ninth in the list of highest-earning batsmen in the history of IPL. The Australian’s total IPL income is ₹ 771,348,250 and that will remain so as the right-hander had called it quits after the 2020 season of the IPL. Watson was arguably one of the best all-rounders at the IPL, who could bat at any position and bowl at different facets of a game. Apart from this, he was safe as houses in the field, plucking out some sensational catches and saving crucial runs. His unexpected retirement has indeed left a void in the current CSK line-up, who still haven’t figured out the permanent replacement for him.
10. Ravindra Jadeja
India’s mainstay across the three formats and an important member in the current CSK set-up, Jadeja comes tenth in this list of highest-earning batsmen in the history of IPL. The Saurashtra cricketer’s total IPL income is ₹ 770,100,000, and we need no rocket science to predict it to rise to an all-time high in the next couple of years. Having burst onto the IPL and international scene as a bowling all-rounder, batting appears to be a better suit for the player in the last few years, with contributions in almost every encounter. That said, if Jadeja can become the white-ball bowler he once was, he can turn out to be the ‘X-factor’ for CSK in IPL 2021, assisting them in winning yet another title.
