IPL 2022: Top 10 highest salaried players in the IPL till date

The Indian Premier League (IPL) began in 2008 with the goal of giving young Indian cricketers a grand platform to showcase their talent. Over the years, several youngsters have used the platform to perfection and catapulted themselves to the next level.

The best players in the world play in the IPL every year. One of the main reasons why the IPL attracts so many star players is that the franchises pay enormous amounts of money for their services. Quite a few players have earned more than ₹100 crore from the league so far.

Before the 15th season of the league gets underway, we will look at the ten highest paid players in the tournament's history.

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#10 Shikhar Dhawan - ₹83.55 crore

Shikhar Dhawan played for the Delhi Capitals last year

Shikhar Dhawan has been a part of every IPL season played so far. Delhi Capitals signed him for ₹12 lakh in 2008. Dhawan has performed consistently for his IPL teams, leading to a gradual increase in his salary.

From 2014 to 2017, Sunrisers Hyderabad paid him ₹12.5 crore every year for his services. His total IPL earnings are approximately ₹84 crore.

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#9 Yuvraj Singh - ₹84.61 crore

Yuvraj Singh with Adam Gilchrist during an IPL event in 2009

Yuvraj Singh captained the Punjab Kings in the inaugural season. His first IPL salary was ₹4.25 crore. The number rose to ₹16 crore in 2015 when the then Delhi Daredevils broke the bank for his services.

Singh has not played in the league since 2019. He still holds a place in the top ten of the highest salaried players list.

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#8 Ravindra Jadeja - ₹93.01 crore

Ravindra Jadeja has played an important role in CSK's success

Ravindra Jadeja was an uncapped player when the IPL began. The Rajasthan Royals signed him for ₹12 lakh in the U-19 players' draft.

Jadeja has been a consistent performer in the league. Thanks to his brilliant performances, his current salary stands at ₹16 crore.

Check out the full IPL Winners List here.

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#7 Gautam Gambhir - ₹94.62 crore

Gautam Gambhir led the Kolkata Knight Riders to two championships

Gautam Gambhir received a contract worth ₹2.9 crore from the then Delhi Daredevils in 2008. After DD released him in 2011, KKR signed him for a massive ₹11.04 crore.

Gambhir had a very successful stint with KKR. He remained the franchise's most expensive player for a long time. Eventually, he retired in 2018 with total earnings of approximately ₹95 crore.

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#6 Sunil Narine - ₹101.24 crore

Sunil Narine has played for the Kolkata Knight Riders since 2012

Sunil Narine is one of the two overseas players to have earned more than ₹100 crore from the IPL. The Caribbean all-rounder has played for KKR in all seasons since 2012.

His first salary was ₹3.51 crore. From 2018 to 2021, Narine earned ₹12.5 crore per season, but the number came down to ₹6 crore in 2022.

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#5 AB de Villiers - ₹102.51 crore

AB de Villiers is the only player in the top five who has retired from the league. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketer played his last season in 2021.

Nicknamed as Mr. 360, de Villiers started with a salary of ₹1.2 crore in 2008. By the end of his career, he was earning ₹11 crore per season and he retired with earnings of more than ₹100 crore.

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#4 Suresh Raina - ₹110.74 crore

Suresh Raina played a vital role in Chennai Super Kings' success

Suresh Raina was a game-changer in the Indian Premier League for Chennai Super Kings and Gujarat Lions. He was a part of the CSK squad for 12 seasons, while he played two seasons for Gujarat Lions.

His highest salary was ₹12.5 crore paid by GL in 2017. Raina could have earned more from the league but he surprisingly went unsold at the IPL 2022 mega auction.

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#3 Virat Kohli - ₹158.2 crore

Like Ravindra Jadeja, Virat Kohli earned ₹12 lakh in 2008 when the Royal Challengers Bangalore signed him at the U-19 draft. Kohli took his game to a whole new level in the next few years and was earning more than ₹10 crore per year from 2014 onwards.

Kohli had a salary of ₹17 crore from 2018 to 2021 which has now reduced to ₹15 crore in 2022.

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#2 Rohit Sharma - ₹162.6 crore

Rohit Sharma has won the most trophies in Indian Premier League history

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma has won six trophies in his career. He won his first trophy with the Deccan Chargers in 2009 and then led MI to five titles as skipper.

Sharma earned ₹3 crore per year from 2008 to 2010. The number went up to ₹9.2 crore in 2011 when he moved to MI and now stands at ₹16 crore.

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#1 Top earner in IPL history: MS Dhoni - ₹164.84 crore

MS Dhoni has earned the most money among all players in Indian Premier League history. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni was the most expensive player in the inaugural auction. His first salary was ₹6 crore which increased to ₹8.28 crore in 2011, ₹12.5 crore in 2014 and ₹15 crore in 2018.

Dhoni selflessly asked CSK to cut his pay in 2022 as he accepted a contract worth ₹12 crore for the upcoming season. It will be interesting to see if Dhoni's record of the highest earnings will ever be broken.