Virat Kohli, the star player of the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, is one of the most highly compensated cricketers globally. The ex-captain of RCB had an agreement of 17 Crores from 2018 to 2021. Nevertheless, prior to IPL 2022, he decreased his wages to add to the team budget.
As a result, some players have gone beyond Kohli in the list of highest-paid IPL earners. Notwithstanding, in the following edition of the IPL, five Indian cricketers will make more money than Kohli regardless of their performances.
#5 Ishan Kishan
The five-time IPL victors chose the young player Ishan Kishan from Mumbai Indians in the mega auction last year, where he was bought for an astonishing Rs 15.25 crore. Kishan, an acute wicketkeeper-batsman who MI retained in 2023, will be paid Rs 25 lakhs more than what Kohli will receive at the upcoming IPL.
#4 Ravindra Jadeja
Before the auction of IPL 2022, Chennai Super Kings had retained Ravindra Jadeja by paying more money than Virat Kohli. However, he couldn’t make the mark and relinquished the captaincy midway through the tournament. Also, his performance was not good either.
In the end, he was also out of the tournament after being injured. There were also reports that for the year 2023, CSK wanted to release him due to some controversy but nothing like this happened! Jadeja is on a contract of 16 crores with CSK. It will be interesting to see how he makes a comeback!
#3 Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Mumbai Indians, was kept by the Mumbai team prior to the auction and they agreed to give him Rs 16 crore as compensation. Another Mumbai Indians player is also included in the list.
In IPL 2022, he could not continue his stellar form. Playing 14 matches, he scored 268 runs at a strike rate of 120.18. If MI want to grab the trophy for the sixth time, then Rohit will have to be in notable form.
#2 Rishabh Pant
Due to a horrific car accident on 30th December 2022, Rishabh Pant is likely to miss the IPL 2023. However, he has a BCCI Central Contract which means that even if he doesn’t play a single match in IPL, he will get his full salary (16 cr). This rule was implemented by the BCCI in 2011 for its contracted players.
#1 KL Rahul
KL Rahul, the captain of Lucknow Super Giants in their inaugural season, will be the most well-paid Indian player at the following year’s IPL. He has been the most consistent batsman in terms of scoring runs. His average score in the last five seasons has been more than 50.
LSG selected the 30-year-old for an impressive Rs 17 crore, and his consistent batting performance will earn him an additional two crores more than Kohli.