IPL 2019: Highest paid player from each of the 8 teams

IPL 2019 is ready to roll its magic over the fans worldwide. With the auctions completed, the only thing left is to see whether the teams might opt for a few changes here and there in the IPL trading window that is kept open.

In this segment, we have compiled the list of highest-paid players from each of the 8 IPL teams. The salary of few players who were traded between the teams like Shikhar Dhawan, Quinton de Kock, Jayant Yadav among others are not disclosed and hence their existing pay has been used.

The list has been compiled from IPL 2019 contract extensions announced by BCCI and from the list of full list of IPL 2019 auction purchases.

Let us see who the highest paid IPL players for each of the 8 IPL teams are and how much is being paid by the IPL franchises for their services.

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#8 KL Rahul - Kings XI Punjab

KL Rahul

Salary – INR 11 Crore

KL Rahul was picked up by Kings XI Punjab in the 2018 IPL auctions for INR 11 crore and he did repay the team with a string of good performances at the top of the order. His performances did have an impact on the team in the initial stages of the season as Punjab was leading the points table in the initial matches before their performances went south.

The second-highest paid player in the Punjab side was the captain Ravichandran Ashwin (who is paid INR 7.6 Crore) until Varun Chakravarthy was bought in the IPL 2019 auctions. Varun was bought for a whopping Rs.8.4 Crore and that makes him the second highest paid player in the IPL 2019 squad of Punjab.

KL Rahul did have a good IPL season last year. But ever since then, his performances have been below par. He will be expecting to make a turnaround in his form in the IPL 2019 season to put forth a strong claim to the World cup squad.

#7 Sunil Narine - Kolkata Knight Riders

Sunil Narine

Salary – INR 12.5 Crore

Sunil Narine has been a loyal Kolkata patron for a long time and has produced impeccable performances for them. He was retained by KKR for IPL 2019 season at a price tag of INR 12.5 crore and he becomes the highest paid player in the KKR squad.

The second highest player in the KKR side is his opening partner Chris Lynn who is paid INR 9.6 Crore. Highest paid Indian player in the squad is the Captain Dinesh Karthik himself who is paid INR 7.40 Crore.

His contribution to the team has risen a notch higher after he started opening for KKR with Lynn. His quickfire runs have been a blessing for the side many times and have introduced a new style of game strategy into the thought process of the IPL teams. With Sunil Narine firing, KKR is bound to have a good IPL 2019 season and that is exactly what the KKR team management expects from the player.

#6 Ben Stokes & Steve Smith - Rajasthan Royals

Ben Stokes

Salary – INR 12.5 Crore

Both Ben Stokes and Steven Smith are paid INR 12.5 Crore in the Rajasthan Royals squad. While Steve Smith missed the last season owing to the ban, Ben Stokes had a below-par season in 2018. Both the stalwarts will be looking to change that storyline in IPL 2019 and Rajasthan will benefit if the duo can do so.

The second highest paid player in the Rajasthan Royals camp is the pace bowler Jaydev Unadkat, who incidentally also had a disastrous season in the last IPL. He will be paid INR 8.40 Crore, a slightly reduced figure from his pay of the last IPL season.

Ben Stokes could not justify his price tag in the last IPL and will want to do so in the present season. He will know that if he doesn’t perform in IPL 2019, it is possible that his shares could go south. Both Stokes and Smith will try to make the IPL 2019 season count.

#5 David Warner - Sunrisers Hyderabad

David Warner

Salary – INR 12.5 Crore

David Warner missed the last IPL season owing to his ban and will be looking forward to having a go in the IPL 2019 for Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was retained by the Hyderabad team along with Bhubaneshwar Kumar and was given the captaincy of the team.

Warner took Sunrisers to their title victory in 2016 and earned a great fan following in Hyderabad. He was retained by Sunrisers for a sum of INR 12.5 Crore which makes him the highest paid player in the Sunrisers Camp.

The second highest paid player is Manish Pandey who was bought by Punjab in the previous IPL auctions for INR 11 Crore. Incidentally, he also will be looking forward to making IPL 2019 count after a below-par performance in the last IPL.

David Warner though is almost a sure-shot selection to the Australian World Cup team, but he will be more interested in showing the Australian selectors how destructive he can be with the IPL 2019 season and earn his place in the World Cup squad.

#4 Rishabh Pant - Delhi Capitals

Rishabh Pant

Salary – INR 15 Crore

Rishabh Pant is the highest paid player in the Delhi Capitals squad. The dynamic wicket-keeper batsman has improved considerably well in his game over the last few years he came onto the scene.

From a flamboyant batsman who can singlehandedly change the fate of the game with his stroke-making ability, Pant has become better in judgment and more temperamental to the game of cricket.

Delhi Capitals primarily has had a young squad and has always promoted youth over experience policy in their team selections. The fact remains that the salary of Shikhar Dhawan (INR 5.2 Crore was paid last season) in IPL 2019 is not disclosed.

Since Dhawan left Sunrisers owing to discussions over higher pay, it is safe to assume that he will be paid above INR 5.2 crore salary but is unlikely to cross the 15-crore mark. But since the figures are not out in the open, Pant is officially the highest paid Delhi Capitals player in IPL 2019.

With some terrific performances in the Australian tour, Rishabh pant will now be looking forward to making the IPL 2019 season count and stake a claim to the World Cup 2019 Squad.

#3 Rohit Sharma - Mumbai Indians

Rohit Sharma

Salary – INR 15 Crore

Rohit Sharma is one of the most valuable players in the current Indian team. There is no doubt to that statement and Mumbai Indians shelling out INR 15 crore for his services is not a surprise. He can lead the side from the front and is an effective leader apart from his hitting prowess. Even if Mumbai Indians leave him, there definitely is gonna be lots of other IPL teams willing to buy him at the same price.

The second highest paid player in the Mumbai Indians squad is the Indian allrounder Hardik Pandya who is paid INR 11 crore and the third highest paid player is his brother Krunal Pandya who is paid INR 8.8 crore.

Rohit Sharma will be trying to make the odd year season victories of Mumbai Indians a reality once again in IPL 2019. Mumbai had won the IPL titles in 2013, 2015 and 2017 and will be hoping that they continue the rhythm with IPL 2019.

#2 MS Dhoni - Chennai Super Kings

MS Dhoni

Salary – INR 15 Crore

MS Dhoni has a unique bond with Chennai Super Kings and it was evident when the Chennai Management tried to pick up the same team under Dhoni after their return from Ban in IPL 2018.

Dhoni repaid the faith the Chennai management had on him with a title victory and justified his price tag of INR 15 crore. Considering the value that he has brought to the Chennai Side, the massive pay is quite an understatement. More than his middle order batting skills and finishing prowess, his calm leadership qualities are much more valuable to Chennai as a cohesive unit.

The second highest paid player in the Chennai side is Suresh Raina who is paid INR 11 crore. The former Indian international is still a highly valued player in the T20 circles with his ability to build the innings. He may be on the lookout to stake a claim to the World cup squad even though the chances are quite slim at this point in time.

Dhoni will be looking at IPL as a valuable game time before the World cup. Considering the fact that he might well be playing his last World Cup in 2019, he would definitely want to go out with a bang.

#1 Virat Kohli - Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kohli

Salary – INR 17 Crore

There is absolutely no doubt that Virat Kohli is the most valuable player in world cricket at the moment. His consistency in scoring runs is second to none. The RCB management very well understands that and is ready to pay the highest salary for his services.

The second highest paid player in the Bangalore squad is the South African AB de Villiers who is paid INR 11 crore.

It is quite a paradox that even after having two of the best cricketers of the world in their squad, Royal Challengers Bangalore has never won the IPL trophy. They have always fallen short in getting the combination right and they have been overdependent on Kohli and de Villiers always in every season of IPL.

Kohli will be very much looking forward to changing that trend with a title victory in IPL 2019 as he might be feeling that he has a good team combination this time.