Across the globe, cricketers have transformed their earnings over the last few decades. Gone are the days where they only played the game during their summer and had to find alternative employment during the winter months.
Cricket is now a career where not just the world’s best players, but also many others, can earn millions of dollars in their salaries with plenty of opportunities to add further revenue over the course of a year.
Salaries and central contracts from 1990 – 2025
As recently as the early 1990s, many of the world’s top cricket players were still making their money from their county, state, province or club. Not anymore!
In the previous system, a player could end up in action on successive days for two different teams and was not conducive for top international performances. It also meant that some individuals picked up injuries on a regular basis.
This started to change in 1994 when Australia became the first country to introduce central test contracts which meant that their international players were paid by the Australia Cricket Board. For example, captain Allan Border signed a deal worth $90,000 but it also had implications for the player who could now be told when he could or could not play, depending on what the ACB wanted.
Other countries followed suit with South Africa publishing their list of centrally contracted players 12 months later before the ECB announced their first cohort of contracted players in 2000.
Which cricketers are the top earners?
Let’s look at how much money the top cricket players are making
Pat Cummins $2.7 million
The Test captain already has a lucrative contract with Cricket Australia but supplements it with an annual $700,000 Indian Premier League deal, not to mention a package with Major League Cricket in the USA to top up his salary!
In 2024 he was officially the highest-paid cricketer in the world from franchise cricket and test cricket. Previously seen just as a bowler, he is now thought of as an all-rounder which adds to his value across all three formats.
Rishabh Pant $2.5 million
An incredibly talented and entertaining keeper-batter, the left-hander has wowed millions around the world with his attacking style. Even after sustaining career threatening injuries in a car crash in December 2022, the 27 year old is still one of the world’s best paid via the IPL and his BCCI contract.
In fact, the accident has only added to his marketability with his latest employers, Lucknow Super Giants, describing his “resilience and ability to fight and rise again” as huge assets. He is certainly up there as one of the richest cricket players.
Shreyas Iyer $2.2 million
The 30 year old has only played 14 Test matches for India but with over 100 appearances for his country in white-ball games (T20Is and ODIs) has become one of the most-sought after batters.
He also benefits from looking like a Bollywood star so teams not only get a top cricketer but also one who fans adore across the world. From the IPL alone, he takes home $1.6 million annually and tops it up with his BCCI white ball contract.
KL Rahul $1.8 million
Understated as a person, but a player who consistently performs, the opening batsman is one of the most reliable players in the world across the shortest and longest formats of the game. He has represented some top IPL sides as well as India and is paid handsomely in match fees for his professional skills.
Mitchell Starc $1.68 million
Another from Cricket Australia, the left-arm pace bowler is feared across the world and as a result every team wants him in their XI. He bowls with such speed that when he hits the wickets, the images and videos are perfect for going viral and great news for the social media departments of his sides!
The 34 year old is married to Aussie Women’s captain Alyssa Healy and some cricket boards are looking for salaries to be equalised across men’s and women’s cricket. She is also the daughter of former Test wicket keeper Ian, and they are very much the ‘power-couple’ of Australian sport.
Salaries from franchise cricket and sponsorship
When central contracts were introduced, no one could have foreseen the explosion of the franchise model which would offer higher salaries to the world’s best cricketers.
The best paid tournaments are the IPL in India, the Big Bash League in Australia, South Africa’s SA20, the ‘Hundred’ competition in England as well as the ILT20 in the UAE.
But there are others as well with T20 tournaments offering large contracts to cricket players in the Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and recently the USA as well.
Simply, these tournaments have allowed many players to become ‘freelance’ and to dip in and out of competitions across the globe throughout the year. It’s not just the financial rewards, New Zealander James Neesham highlights that “you’re always meeting a new group, you’re always going into a new environment and it keeps you fresh.”
With global exposure also comes sponsorship opportunities and in some countries the top cricketers are the most marketable assets as well.
Some players have many sponsors, including companies in the igaming industry, like Dale Steyn who is a brand ambassador for an online gaming platform. The partnership allows Steyn to make more money whilst strengthening the platform’s credibility and trustworthiness.
As the player himself stated, “From humble beginnings to the world stage, I made it through hard work, dedication and belief. I pushed limits, broke barriers and never forgot to have fun. Now, my journey continues…”
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In some cases, the biggest names are able to earn more money through brand partnerships and endorsements than by stepping foot onto the cricket field. However, if their performance levels on the pitch start to drop then their earnings could suddenly start to fall.