Founded by the BCCI in 2007, the Indian Premier League (IPL) has emerged as one of the world’s biggest cricket leagues, featuring top players such as Rashid Khan, Hardik Pandya, Mitchell Starc, Virat Kohli, Heinrich Klaasen, Cameron Green and others. It also provides a platform for young domestic players to showcase their skills on a global level. With IPL 2024 off to a great start, it’s interesting to see the franchise’s hard work during the auction payoff on the big stage.
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc is the top player in the auction, who was acquired by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) owned by Shah Rukh Khan for a whopping price of Rs 24.75 crore. Another Aussie player, Pat Cummins, secured an amazing deal during the auction as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) spent Rs 20.50 crore to acquire him. Interestingly, he is also the highest-paid captain in IPL 2024.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Indians (MI) made a significant move just before the auction by bringing back Hardik Pandya from Gujarat Titan (GT). The Mukesh Ambani-owned franchise acquired the services of the all-rounder for Rs 15 crore, who was later named as the new captain of the squad. However, it is worth mentioning that he is not the highest-paid player in the MI team, as former captain Rohit Sharma earns Rs 16 crore annually from his contract with the franchise. However, it’s interesting to note that neither Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, nor Rishabh Pant is the highest-paid Indian player in the ongoing season of IPL. Scroll down to find out who it really is.
Meet the highest-paid Indian player in IPL 2024; it’s not Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni, Rishabh Pant, or Hardik Pandya
Right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman and the Vice-Captain of the Indian team, KL Rahul, is the highest-paid Indian player in IPL 2024. In 2022, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) paid a staggering amount of Rs 17 crore to acquire his services, making him the highest-paid Indian player in IPL history. The franchise retained him as captain for the 2023 and 2024 seasons as well. According to Sportskeeda, KL Rahul has earned a total of Rs 82.1 crore since his debut in IPL in 2013 for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
