Revealed: Top Two Earners In History Of IPL As Virat Kohli Is Only Third

MS Dhoni’s unprecedented exploits on the cricket field has not only made him a legend and one of the most popular cricketers in the world but also one of the richest sportspersons. The former India skipper is one of the highest-paid players in the history of cricket.

And he is reportedly the highest earner in the history of IPL, leaving behind the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are three of the very few players who are playing in the IPL since the inaugural season in 2008 and are still active.

In less than a year after leading Team India to a title victory in the inaugural T20 World Cup, he emerged as the top draw in the IPL 2008 auction and joined Chennai Super Kings for USD 1.5 Million. Since then, his legacy as well as earning has only increased.

MS Dhoni has earned an income of over Rs 137 crore from the T20 league, as per Inside Sports Money Ball. This doesn’t include the cash prize and other rewards – like Player of the Match awards, etc. No player has earned more than MS Dhoni in the history of the league.

As per the report, the CSK skipper continued to earn the same amount in IPL 2009 and 2010 that he earned in IPL 2008. From IPL 2011 to 2013, he earned nearly Rs 8.2 crore. In 2014, the BCCI raised the first-choice retention fees to 12.5 crore. Hence, the wicketkeeper-batsman earned that amount in IPL 2014 and 2015. At Rising Pune Supergiant as well, he earned the same amount for two years.

Ahead of IPL 2018, the BCCI increased the first-choice retention price to Rs 15 crore. Consequently, MS Dhoni has earned Rs 45 crore in the past three seasons. In total, he has earned over Rs 137 crore.

Virat Kohli only third:

Surprisingly, current India captain Virat Kohli is only third in the list behind MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma. The Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper has earned Rs 126 crore so far. The reason behind him sitting at third spot is his price in the first three seasons.

In 2008, he was uncapped and was picked by RCB at Rs 12 lakhs. He received the same amount in IPL 2009 and 2010. Ahead of the 2011 season, he was the only player retained by the franchise for Rs 8.2 crore and earned that amount till 2013.

In 2014, he joined the top bracket and received Rs 12.5 crore for the next four seasons. In 2018, he shattered all past records by drawing a cheque of Rs 17 crore – 2 crore more than the highest retention price. He has been receiving that price since 2018 and has earned Rs 51 crore in past three seasons.

Rohit Sharma, on the other hand, has earned Rs 131 crore so far. He earned Rs 3 crore during his time at Deccan Chargers – from 2008 to 2010. From 2011 to 2013, he earned Rs 9.2 crore at Mumbai Indians every year. Since he was the captain, Rohit became the first-choice retention player in IPL 2014. Since then, he has been matching Dhoni’s amount every year.

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