The IPL completed its 15 years on April 18, 2023. The tournament that started with 8 franchises on April 8, 2008, has rapidly grown into not only the biggest cricket tournament in the world, but also one of the richest sporting competitions on the planet.
There are a few players who participated in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League in 2008, and also in the ongoing Indian League 2023 season.
Here is a salary comparison of players in 2008 to their salaries in 2023 IPL:
MS Dhoni
CSK roped in Mahendra Singh Dhoni for 6 crore in the 2008 auction, making Dhoni the most expensive player in the first-ever auction. The Ranchi-born led them to 9 finals and 4 titles. Dhoni’s highest salary was 15 crore between 2018 and 2022, and he was retained for 12 crore ahead of 2022 mega-auction.
Virat Kohli
RCB picked Kohli for 12 lakhs in 2008 from the batch of the U-19 World Cup winning team, which Kohli captained. In 2011, Kohli was the only player that RCB retained. In 2018, Kohli, now the leading run-scorer in the Indian League history, became the first player to be retained for 17 crore. Now, Kohli’s salary is 15 crore in 2023.
Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was part of the Mumbai Indians franchise in 2008. MI bought Rahane for 12 lakh in 2008 before he moved to RR in 2011. Rahane is currently with CSK for a salary of 50 lakh, bought in the Indian Premier League 2023 auction.
Dinesh Karthik
One of the few players to have played in all Indian Premier League seasons, Karthik started his career in 2008 with Delhi Daredevils for a salary of 2.1 crore. Karthik’s highest salary was 12.5 crore in 2014, bought by DD. Karthik now plays for RCB, bought at a price of 5.5 crore in 2022 mega-auction.
Ravindra Jadeja
Ravindra Jadeja impressed the legendary Shane Warne in his debut season in 2008, when RR had roped him in for 10 lakh. In 2012, Jadeja moved to CSK for 9.2 crore and even became their skipper in 2022, but that stint was short-lived. In 2022, CSK retained Jadeja for a hefty sum of 16 crore.
