The IPL is a professional cricket Premier League in India, officially called the Vivo Indian Premier League (after its sponsor, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo). This tournament is not particularly popular among sports fans, but it is incredibly well promoted in its home country. Indian PL teams can add players to their roster in several ways, including the annual auction.
As popular as cricket is, so is betting on the sport. And it is not surprising because Bet on cricket can bring unprecedented excitement and profit.
IPL: the road to success
The Indian Premier Cricket League has taken a lightning-fast path to a successful business venture. The first tournament took place in 2008, and 10 years later, in 2018, the rights to broadcast IPL matches were sold for four years for $2.6 billion. This deal at the time was in the top 10 in the world, and in terms of 1 season ($510,000,000), was ahead of, for example, the current NHL contract until 2024 ($454 million per season)!
But it all started even earlier, in 2003 when cricket matches began to be played in India in the Twenty20 format. Games in this format last about 3.5 hours. In other words, it’s a small number for the sport as other forms usually last at least 5 or 6 hours. It was with Twenty20 that cricket in India began to grow at a fantastic rate financially.
The most expensive player in IPL auction history
The Indian PL season takes place in April and May. The tournament features eight teams that play 14 games in those two spring months – with each opponent home and away. There are no more than two games per day – the organizers cleverly create a schedule for TV broadcasts, dividing the contests into time slots. Playoffs are played between the top 4 teams, which start with semifinals in the “double elimination” format (after losing in the upper net, the team gets eliminated first in the lower net, and in case of the 2nd defeat, leaves the tournament). This format is actively used in cybersport.
As of 2019, the league was already worth $6.3 billion, which continues to grow. So how did a cricket league in, to put it mildly, not the wealthiest country in the world achieve such tremendous financial success?
There are several reasons for this, one of them being the clever use of the auction format in selecting new players. A few months before the start of the next tournament, the highest auction in IPL takes place: this way, they manage to rotate the squads and keep the competition high.
The IPL auction protocols are as follows: each club can protect up to 3 players from last year’s roster. Then, the remaining budget goes to auction. Players bid themselves and set a base price, agreeing with the team that offered the highest value.
The auction starts with the most substantial and expensive athletes. In the IPL, “high-end player” equals the concept of “expensive player.” Each club can take 16 to 27 players, but no more than nine foreigners.
The last talent draft to date took place in February 2021. The highest price in the IPL turned out to be South African all-rounder Chris Morris – the Rajasthan Royals team paid 162.5 million rupees for the rights to this athlete.
However, the most expensive player in IPL history is not Morris. Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli is recognized by many experts as the best cricketer in the world. His contract with the club and his sponsorship agreements as of 2019 brought him $24 million per season.
The highest-paid cricket players
The top cricket players haven’t changed in years. It looked like this:
- Ricky Ponting (Australia);
- Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka);
- Jacques Kallis (South Africa);
- Shane Warne (Australia);
- Brian Lara (West Indies);
- Wasim Akram (Pakistan);
- Viv Richards (West Indies);
- Muttiah Muralitharan (Sri Lanka);
- Don Bradman (Australia);
- Sachin Tendulkar (India).
Now the top has changed a bit. We invite you to check it out.
David Warner
The 34-year-old Australian Opener, captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad, gets ₹12 crores after winning the IPL mega auction 2018. He has impressed Indian fans on the field with his quick start to the innings and off the field with hilarious Instagram reels.
Jhye Richardson
Punjab Kings snapped up the 24-year-old lanky Australian fast bowler in this auction for ₹14 crores after he fended off interest from Royal Challengers Bangalore. He impressed with 29 wickets in the 2022 Big Bash tournament with Perth Scorchers, who finished runners-up.
Glenn Maxwell
After a series of bids between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Glenn Maxwell was brought in by the men in red for 14.25 crores. The Australian has not been at his best in recent seasons with Punjab but hopes to make a strong statement this time.
Kyle Jamieson
Royal Challengers Bangalore brought in the 6 foot 8 inch New Zealand all-rounder for ₹15 crores. He got his career-best Test figures of 11 for 117 in the second Test against Pakistan. Jamieson is the highest-paid New Zealand cricketer in IPL 2022.
Rishabh-Hose
The capital skipper from New Delhi has been selected as the first choice in the IPL mega auction 2018. He will be paid ₹15 crores in arrears for initial retention. He was crucial in the recently concluded series against Australia and England with match-deciding knocks.
Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma will be in his 10th season with Mumbai Indians this year and is the most successful captain in the league, having won it five times. He earns ₹15 crores with Mumbai Indians and is one of the four players who have scored more than 5000 runs in IPL.
Mahindra Singh Dhoni
MS Dhoni has strong ties with the franchise and the city as he is integrated with India Cements and owns a soccer franchise based in Chennai. After being brought for the most expensive player in the first auction, he has been with the franchise for over ten years. He also pockets ₹15 crores.
Pat Cummins
The Kolkata Knight Riders paid 15.5 crores for the Australian fast bowler after rejoining the team after playing with them in the 2014 season. Pat Cummins is a crucial clog with the Kangaroos and is currently the team’s vice-captain. Cummins is the highest-paid Australian cricketer in the 2022 IPL.
Chris Morris
Chris Morris is the highest-paid cricketer in IPL 2022.
South African all-rounder Chris Morris is the highest-paid foreign cricketer in IPL 2022, as four teams competed for his services in the 2022 auction. However, Rajasthan Royals managed to sign him for a record 16.5 crores, and it will be his second stint with the club after playing with them in the 2015 season.
Virat Kohli
Indian skipper Virat Kohli is the highest-paid cricketer in IPL 2022 after negotiating an outstanding deal of 2018 crore with them in 17. Kohli is the highest-paid runner in the league and has been an integral part of it RCB since he joined them on a youth contract in 2008.
