$4.92 MILLION. That’s the record-breaking price the Lucknow Super Giants paid for big hitting batsman Rishabh Pant at the 2025 Indian Premier League mega auction in November. It’s the largest fee a player has ever sold for at an IPL auction and it will make Pant one of the highest earning cricketers in the world until the next IPL mega auction, as he’ll be paid out with portions of that figure over the next three years.

Pant’s exorbitant price point is an indictment of how cricket has grown to become a lucrative sport for the players involved. Throughout its history, cricket has always been one of the world’s most popular sports, but its profitability just hasn’t compared to major American leagues like the NBA and NFL, or European football leagues. Now, however, it’s starting to catch up – and high-earners like Pant prove it.

Of course, Pant’s income isn’t limited to what he’ll earn from the IPL. The IPL’s season only runs from March to May, after all. Outside of that, players are free to ply their trade – and make more bank – in other competitions like Major League Cricket in the USA or the Big Bash League in Australia. The top players are also on sizable retainers with their respective national teams, with the potential to earn a salary across three different forms of the sport: the limited over divisions and test cricket.

All of this makes for a handful of very rich cricketers. And here, we’re counting down the richest. These are the high paid cricketers on the planet, ranked from ten to one.

All figures are in AUD and are accurate as of November 27th 2024.

What cricketers are paid the most?

10. Temba Bavuma

Nation: South Africa

Salary: $840,000

Over the years, pint-sized South African captain Temba Bavuma has proven that height is no barrier to cricketing success. Standing at 1.62 metres tall, Bavuma has established himself as one of the best batsmen across all three forms of the game – and he’s been well compensated for it, with a hefty retainer from the South African national team.

9. Kraigg Brathwaite

Nation: West Indies

Salary: $960,000

The test captain of the West Indies, Kraigg Brathwaite is one of the world’s most reliable opening batsmen. Domestically, the Barbadian makes his money primarily in England’s county championship, which doesn’t pay all that well compared to the other major leagues. Brathwaite’s near-million dollar salary mostly comes from his heavy retainer with the West Indies.

8. Glenn Maxwell

Nation: Australia

Salary: $1.2 million

Veteran Aussie all-rounder Glenn Maxwell recently sold for the bargain price of $770,000 in the IPL auction. That will net him around $250,000 annually over the next three years, which is a steep drop off from some of the massive contracts he’s been on in the past (although a salary of $250,000 is a problem we’d like to have). Luckily for Maxwell some of his lost income will be supplanted by his retainer with the Australian national team, which is in the vicinity of $950,000.

7. Rohit Sharma

Nation: India

Salary: $1.25 million

One of the greatest white ball batsmen of all time, Indian test captain Rohit Sharma holds innumerable batting records in international play and has been a member of the Mumbai Indians since 2011. Sharma’s legacy is enough to command a sizeable IPL salary even at 37 years old. His national team retainer of around $700,000 isn’t too shabby either.

6. Virat Kohli

Nation: India

Salary: $1.3 million

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli is a veritable national hero in his home country, and although he’s now entering the twilight of his career, he’s still one of the highest paid cricketers on the planet. In the IPL, he’s stayed loyal to Royal Challengers Bengaluru since 2008 and they’ve paid him handsomely for it. He still earns a pricey retainer from the national team, but considering the amount of endorsements he does, we wouldn’t be surprised if Kohli’s off-field earnings outpaced his on-field salary.

5. Mitchell Starc

Nation: Australia

Salary: $1.68 million

Starc made headlines when he became the most expensive player in IPL auction history in 2023, selling for a whopping $4.5 million AUD. He sold for less than half that amount at this year’s auction, however. Still, Starc won’t be pressed for cash with more than $700,000 in IPL salary plus an even larger figure from his Cricket Australia retainer.

4. KL Rahul

Nation: India

Salary: $1.8 million

As dependable as they come, KL Rahul has been one of the world’s best wicketkeepers for some time. He may have now been usurped by Rishabh Pant for a regular place in the national team, but don’t fear, he’s at no risk of losing his income. Rahul was recently bought by the Delhi Capitals in the IPL auction and will earn close to $1 million per year on that contract. He remains contracted by Cricket India too.

3. Shreyas Iyer

Nation: India

Salary: $2.2 million

Shreyas Iyer was largely overshadowed by Rishabh Pant at the 2024 IPL auction, but Iyer sold for only $5,000 less than his compatriot. If the Pant sale didn’t happen, Iyer would be the most expensive player in IPL history. We doubt he’s too upset about missing out on the honour though. He’ll still make around $1.6 million from his IPL deal every year, plus a further $600,000 from his role as a stalwart in India’s national team.

2. Rishabh Pant

Nation: India

Salary: $2.5 million

Pant’s ludicrous IPL salary may be enough to make us reconsider our chosen career path, but it’s not enough to get him the top spot on this list. With a $1.65 million salary already locked in, Pant gets another boost from his role as the Indian national team’s wicketkeeper and reliable middle order batsman, in the form of a $850,000 retainer.

1. Pat Cummins

Nation: Australia

Salary: $2.7 million

Esquire cover alum Pat Cummins was once the highest paid player in IPL history, but has since been surpassed by Starc, Pant and Iyer. After recently being sold at the 2024 IPL auction, Cummins will now earn around $700,000 annually from the IPL. This, coupled with an eye-watering $2 million contract that comes with a captain’s bonus from cricket Australia, makes for quite the pay package. Cummins is the world’s highest paid cricketer and the four-year contract he signed with the San Francisco Unicorns earlier this year will help him remain in that spot.

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