Indian Cricketers And Their Salaries For The Year 2019-20

The Board of Cricket Control of India (BCCI) has announced the annual contracted player’s list for the men’s cricket team for the 2019-20 season. The duration of this contract ranges from October 2019 to September 2020. Athletes in Navdeep Saini and Hanuma Vihari looks to be the new entrants on the backdrop of some promising shows in the limited-overs and Test area respectively.

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There are four grades in total, namely Grade A+, Grade A, Grade B, and Grade C. The players belonging to Grade A+ would receive INR 7 crores and the ones categorized under A, B, and C will get INR 5, 3, and 1 crore respectively. There are a total of 27 players on the elite list.

Here is the full list of the players in annual retainer’s list:

Grade C players:

Washington Sundar:

Washington Sundar is an off-spinner, who features in only T20 cricket. As far as exploits are concerned, he has taken six wickets since October 2019 and sometimes conceded a lot of runs. For someone who plays only in the shortest format, getting included in Grade C is apt.

Shreyas Iyer:

Shreyas Iyer made his international comeback in the previous year and since then India’s middle-order has started to look. Often he has repaired the innings after some early losses and went on to make invaluable half-centuries. With India’s number four problem steadily disappearing, the Mumbai batsman has been presently included in the Grade C category.

Shardul Thakur:

Shardul Thakur is one of the rising quick bowlers in the Indian ranks. The Mumbai pacer bowls fast and bowls with intent. While he has not quite seized the opportunities and made an impact, he is one of the fittest bowlers going today. The 28-year old is also a handy batsman down the order, capable of tonking a few out of the park.

Hanuma Vihari:

Hanuma Vihari made his Test debut in 2018 against England and mustered a patient half-century at The Oval. While he couldn’t make the desired impact down under, his patience, resilience and grinding ability weren’t going to go unnoticed. Last year, Vihari managed scores of 32, 93 111, and 53* in West Indies that turned out to be the breakthrough series for him. Hence, for now, he has been included in the Grade C category.

Manish Pandey:

Sadly, Manish Pandey’s skills have been mainly overlooked. Not only is Manish Pandey a talented floater batsman, but electric in the field. In his most recent match, the right-handed batsman scored a precious knock of 31 against Sri Lanka batting at the lower order. For now, he is included under the category of Grade C. The 30-year old must be given chances to prove himself in the ongoing year.

Deepak Chahar:

Deepak Chahar enjoyed an unforgettable year and at the same time endured a year to forget. In 2019, he picked up the best T20 figures of all time against Bangladesh, taking six wickets for seven runs in less than four overs. However, the 27-year old couldn’t replicate the same form in ODIs and also got injured for a lengthy period.

Navdeep Saini:

The year 2019 saw the first appearance of Navdeep Saini in the international scene after impressing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is still early days in his international career; however, he bowls with an unrelenting speed as well as accuracy. Saini is one of the new entrants in the BCCI contract for this cycle.

Kedar Jadhav:

The 34-year old has endured a mixed year when it comes to international cricket. Kedar Jadhav was picked for the World Cup; however, he played only a few games before getting dropped. Post the mega tournament in the United Kingdom; Jadhav has been only on the fringes. The Maharashtra-born all-rounder may call it quits in a year or two.

Grade B:

Mayank Agarwal:

It won’t take much time for the Karnataka batsman to make it to the A+ category. Since the time he made his Test debut against Australia in the Boxing Day Test, Mayank Agarwal has grown from strength to strength as a bonafide Test match opener ahead of stalwarts like KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, and Prithvi Shaw.

In only nine Tests, the right-handed batsman has accumulated 872 runs along with three centuries and three fifties. The upcoming tour of New Zealand where India will play two-match series could be his first biggest test since his first appearance.

Hardik Pandya:

Hardik Pandya’s career has been plagued by injuries which keeps on piling up one after the other. The star all-rounder has remained active on social media; however, his body is very fragile when it comes to handling the rigours of international cricket. Pandya last featured for India in the World Cup in which he scored 226 runs with the bat and took ten wickets with the ball. Even now he is battling a back injury.

Yuzvendra Chahal:

The leggie from Haryana has also endured a mixed year in international cricket. Yuzvendra Chahal, along with Kuldeep Yadav, were earmarked to make a massive impact in the World Cup. The duo performed reasonably well; however, India’s selection policies caused a dent in their performance. Chahal still remains one of their regular white-ball picks and deserves getting categorized in Grade A.

Umesh Yadav:

Umesh Yadav fell out of the selection radar after an unconvincing tour of Australia in late 2018. With the pace attack of India doing quite well, the speedster’s recall remained distant. However, Jasprit Bumrah’s ruling out because of a back injury in the 2019 home season facilitated his recall.

On his return, Umesh picked up 11 and 12 wickets in the Test series against South Africa and Bangladesh respectively. Hence, he gets categorized in the Grade B category.

Wriddhiman Saha:

Of late, due to India’s prolific batting order, the men in blue have opted for a specialist wicketkeeper-batsman. With Rishabh Pant not being consistent enough behind the stumps, the selectors have decided to give Wriddhiman Saha an extended run with the team.

And the 35-year old has responded quite well by keeping perfectly to the likes of Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, and Umesh Yadav in their swirling deliveries. The Bengal keeper was especially very skilful against the pink ball that jagged away a fair bit.

Grade A:

Rishabh Pant:

Rishabh Pant made a prolific start to his international career, especially Tests, hammering centuries in England and Australia. However, when it comes to white-ball cricket, the youngster’s performances have been fluctuating. The added pressure to succeed MS Dhoni has consistently worked against him. Despite that, he gets categorized into the Grade A category.

Kuldeep Yadav:

2018 was an extraordinary year for the left-arm chinaman bowler, having ended with 45 wickets in 19 games at 17.77. Even in 2019, Kuldeep Yadav remained among the wickets; however, the opposition figured him out better and milked him for runs. He started the year 2020 on a relatively better note, but again proved t be toothless against Australia.

Ishant Sharma:

Ishant Sharma has come off age and established himself as the seniormost fast bowler along with one of the most impactful in recent times. Ishant was pivotal in India’s triumphant campaign of Australia in four Tests in late 2018.

Not only in overseas, but the Delhi batsman has wreaked havoc among the batting line-up at home conditions too. And he rightfully deserves a higher pay scale.

Mohammed Shami:

2019 was a dream year for Mohammed Shami. The Bengal speedster possessed a separate killer instinct of his own in Test matches. Not only in Tests, but Shami also bowled like a demon in ODIs, ending as the highest wicket-taker in the year with 42 scalps to his name. Along with Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the 29-year old has cemented his position as one of the first-choice bowlers for India.

Shikhar Dhawan:

If 2019 was anything, it began to stem doubts about his continuity in India’s limited-overs side. He was ruled out of the World Cup due to a finger injury suffered on his way to a glorious century against defending champions Australia. With KL Rahul grabbing the chance and performing consistently, it was tough for the southpaw all over again.

But he justified his selection by scoring a patient half-century against Australia in India’s first ODI of 2020. The opening batsman thoroughly deserves an A grade contract for proving his worth over and over again.

KL Rahul:

Without a doubt, KL Rahul is one of the fastest rising stars in international cricket. Whenever the chance has arrived on the doorstep, the Karnataka batsman has pounced on it to make the chance count. While his Test career may be over for good, he remains a mainstay in limited-overs cricket for the men in blue.

Ajinkya Rahane:

A potent red-ball player, Ajinkya Rahane, is best known for several rescue acts during overseas tours. In several situations, around a floundering middle-order in challenging conditions, the elegant right-hander has held his own to play some significant and match-winning knocks. In 63 Tests, he has 4112 runs at a healthy average of 43.7.

Cheteshwar Pujara:

If there were a quintessential Test cricketer in this era, it would indeed be Cheteshwar Pujara. The Saurashtra batsman can bat for very long hours to put the bowlers under submission. The 31-year old was pivotal in India’s first Test series win over Australia and would be expected to play a chief role in India’s upcoming Test assignment in New Zealand.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar:

The Meerut-pacer is not only one of the best swing bowlers in the country, but also one of the most experienced. However, several injuries have dented Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s ability to rediscover his lost mojo. The 29-year old hasn’t played many games for India in 2019 and has made a limited impact in those he featured in. It is slightly surprising to see the seamer not get demoted.

Ravindra Jadeja:

Ravindra Jadeja is one of the few cricketers not only in India, but also in the world, who is capable of making a significant impact in all the formats of the sport. The preciousness of having a cricketer, who is a game-changer in all the facets cannot be discounted. The 31-year old came within touching distance of scripting a victory in the semi-final for India in the 2019 World Cup.

In recent times, the Saurashtra all-rounder has risen as an incredible all-rounder for India in Test matches. In 2019, he mustered 440 runs in eight Tests and snapped 21 wickets. He indeed deserves to be in A+ contract.

Ravichandran Ashwin:

Ravi Ashwin may be nowhere near India’s white-ball setup; however, he is India’s frontline spinner in the longest format. With 362 wickets in 70 Tests, the 33-year old is the fourth-highest wicket-taker for India in Tests. Not only in the sub-continent, but the Tamil Nadu offie has also proved himself in decks that doesn’t offer much spin. His proficiency with the bat is one more added skill.

Grade A+

Jasprit Bumrah:

Jasprit Bumrah redefined and introduced the concept of death-bowling in India’s ranks. Since the selection of Bumrah in their line-up, India’s bowling at the back end of the innings has significantly improved. Not only in white-ball cricket, but the lanky pacer has bullied the opponents in the Test arena. Nevertheless, he has been injury-prone as well and needs to work on his fitness to feature consistently in the side.

Rohit Sharma:

India’s limited-overs vice-captain has catapulted himself as one of the most impactful and consistent players of the previous decade. The Mumbai batsman’s solid technique has enabled him to get the runs, irrespective of the conditions and the situation. Rohit’s astute captaincy during the IPL has also handed him the position of deputy to Virat Kohli in white-ball cricket.

The 32-year old’s Test career also resurrected in the recent home series against South Africa, having opened the innings. While opening the innings, the elegant right-hander mustered over 500 runs.

Virat Kohli:

No player other than Virat Kohli deserves the highest pay in Indian cricket today. Arguably among the greatest batsmen and an indispensable asset to the Indian team, Kohli wears his heart on the sleeve every time he walks on to the field. The Indian captain has been earmarked to shatter Sachin Tendulkar’s record of highest ODI runs and centuries.

As captain, Virat Kohli’s aggressiveness on the field has enabled India to rule over other countries in their own den in Tests. Under the 31-year old, India climbed to the number one Test ranking and is unbeaten in Test series at home for seven years. But the captain needs to win an ICC limited-overs trophy to prove his greatness as the leader in white-ball cricket.

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