New Delhi: India Test skipper Virat Kohli has become the highest paid player in the Indian Premiere League (IPL), data released by the BCCI has revealed.
According to figures put up by the cricket body pertaining to the actual salaries of players retained by their respective teams, Kohli is among the few cricketers who are getting more than the amount his team was deducted from their purse for the upcoming IPL auction.
Kohli's actual salary in Royal Challengers Bangalore was listed as Rs 15 crore while the purse deduction amount for the team was Rs 12.50 crore in the list put up by BCCI in its website, just days ahead of the Lodha Committee's reform report on January 4.
Kohli has beaten India's limited over skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who was bought by Pune recently in terms of the salary earned. Dhoni has retained the same actual salary and purse deduction of Rs 12.50 crore while playing for Chennai Super Kings.
Among other Indians, Harbhajan Singh (Rs 5.50 crore vs 8 crore) and Ambati Rayudu (Rs 4 vs Rs 6 crore) were the top gainers according to the list put up by BCCI as a part of its recent attempts to ensure transparency.
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle (Rs 7.50 crore vs Rs 8.40) and South African allrounder Faf du Plessis (Rs 40,000,000 vs Rs 47,500,000) were the gainers among international cricketers.
However, like Dhoni, South Africa's ODI skipper AB de Villers (95,000,000), Shikhar Dhawan (125,000,000), R Ashwin (75,000,000), West Indies' Dwayne Bravo (40,000,000) too didn't see any change in their actual salaries.
There were also many cricketers whose actual salary slumped.
Kings XI Punjab duo of David Miller (Rs 125,000,000 vs Rs 50,000,000) and Manan Vora (Rs 40,000,000 vs Rs 3,500,000) and Kolkata Knight Riders' Gautam Gambhir (Rs 125,000,000 vs Rs 100,000,000) and Sunil Narine (Rs 95,000,000 vs Rs 80,000,000) saw their actual salary go down.
(With PTI inputs)
