(Virat Kohli celebrates centenary at ICC World Cup 2023)

Cricket is not just a game as it has become a big business for the players. The most common ways in which the big stars on the cricket field earn money are through Central contracts offered to them by the national cricket boards by playing International Cricket for their country. Since all countries have different salaries for their players, we will take a look at the highest paid cricketers with Central contracts in each country. From the streets of India to the pitches of England, these cricket stars are able to earn a huge amount of money with the help of Central contracts. For many players, it is not just about money, they are able to grab the opportunity and perform well for their country. Let’s take a look at the highest paid cricketers with Central contracts in each country.

1.Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is India’s highest-paid international cricketer, paid Rs 7 crore per year by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). King Kohli has represented the country for a long time and was also part of the team that won the ICC T20 World Cup 2007 and the ICC World Cup 2011. Along with this, Virat Kohli also earns around Rs 15 crore per Indian Premier League season from his franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore.

(Virat Kohli after his first T20I century against Afghanistan)

With a whopping record under his name, Virat Kohli is undoubtedly the highest-paid cricketer of the Indian cricket team. He holds a Grade A+ contract for the team and has been a key performer as the leading run-scorer in the recently held ICC World Cup 2023.

2.Pat Cummins

The ICC World Cup 2023 and World Test Championship 2021-23 winning captain is the highest paid cricketer of the Australian cricket team through his Central contract. He gets around $1.8 million to $2.03 million (approximately Rs 15 to 17 crore) every year through his Central contract. This even includes a Captain’s bonus of $200k as Cummins has shown great potential for the team when it comes to captaincy.

(Pat Cummins with the ICC World Cup 2023 trophy)

Cummins shares the Rank in the central contract with the likes of Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Marsh, Adam Zampa, Steven Smith and a few other players, but he gets paid higher due to the captaincy bonus provided by the Cricket Australia board. After his astonishing captaincy skills, Pat Cummins also became the captain of the IPL team Sunrisers Hyderabad after the team bought him at auction for 20 crore Indian rupees (approximately US$2.39 million), becoming the second highest-selling player at auction in the Indian Premier League.

3. Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes, the impressive all-rounder and captain of the England cricket team, is the highest-paid cricketer in terms of central contract in England. Stokes is paid around ₹ 8.7 lakh (₹ 7.75 crore Indian rupees) every year. As the captain of the team, Ben Stokes has also helped England win the Test format Baseball title and has devastated their opponents with his aggressive style of play in the Test format.

(Ben Stokes celebrates his 100th goal against Australia)

In the 2019 ICC World Cup final against New Zealand, Ben Stokes hit an impressive 84 not out which helped England lift the World Cup trophy. Stokes is also known for his impressive performances against Australia in the Ashes series which kept the game close for both teams. He also holds the record for most sixes in an International Test career with 128 sixes.

4. Babar Azam

Babar Azam or Bobby has been a dominant player for the Pakistan Cricket team, performing well with the bat and team captaincy skills. This helped Babar Azam become the highest-paid cricketer under the Pakistan Cricket Board central contract, being paid 4.5 million Pakistani rupees or approximately 13.50 lakh Indian rupees every month.

(After Babar Azam scored a century against England)

This means that Babar Azam is paid 1.62 crore by the Pakistan Cricket Board every year from his Central contract. Babar Azam has played an important role for the Pakistan Cricket team, he has been the captain and led the team in ICC tournaments and Asia Cup and also reached the qualifiers of some tournaments. His most memorable performance as Pakistan’s captain in the tournament was the ICC World Cup 2022 where Pakistan finished as runners-up.

5. Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan or the spin king is the highest paid international cricketer in Afghanistan, through Central Contracts. He is paid around 73 to 75 lakh Indian rupees per year for his contributions to the team in different formats. Although Afghanistan plays less in the Test format, Rashid Khan can bring his experience to the game and help the team perform well.

(Rashid Khan bowling in T20 World Cup 2022)

In the ICC World Cup 2023, Rashid Khan played a key role in helping Afghanistan get closer to the playoffs but the team unfortunately fell short by just a few points. Bringing experience and dedication to the team, Rashid Khan is also among the highest-paid international players in the Indian Premier League, where he plays for the Gujarat Giants.

6. Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan is one of the few cricketers in the Bangladesh Cricket Team who receives a fixed salary from the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He receives 70 lakh Bangladesh Taka or approximately 53.5 lakh Indian rupees every year from his Central contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He has also been one of the few Bangladesh players to be ranked number 1 in the ICC rankings and has topped the All-rounder list in all three formats.

(Shakib Al Hasan celebrates after taking the goal)

Shakib Al Hasan was part of the Indian Premier League for the 2023 season when Kolkata Knight Riders hired him for 1.5 crore Indian rupees. His partnership for the third wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim in the 2019 World Cup is remembered as they scored 142 runs for the same, which is the highest partnership record for Bangladesh in any World Cup.

7. Jason Holder

Jason Holder is the highest-paid cricketer of the West Indies cricket team, receiving around 2.08 crores from his Central contract every year. Holder was also part of the West Indies squad that won the ICC T20 World Cup 2016, playing an important role for the team with both bat and ball.

(After Jason Holder took four wickets)

He has been an impressive all-rounder for the team and thanks to this, Jason Holder also topped the ICC all-rounder rankings in January 2019. Jason Holder was just 23 years old when he became the captain of the West Indies cricket team, making him the youngest captain in the International format.