The IPL is a major cricketing league, and is one of the most highly anticipated cricketing leagues of the year. Millions of viewers from India and all over the world revel in the games, watch the matches live, and root for their favourite players and teams. The IPL started up in 2008 and has become one of the launching pads for the careers of young Indian cricketers. Many of the best Indian youngsters got their first real shot by getting picked to play in the IPL.
Let’s take a look at the first IPL salaries of well-known marquee Indian cricketers.
List of First IPL Salaries of Marquee Players
Here is a comprehensive list of some of the most well-known marquee cricketers in India, ranging from Mahendra Singh Dhoni to Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar. Comparing the first IPL salaries with today’s paychecks will help you to appreciate how much the field has grown.
1. Mahendra Singh Dhoni – $1.5 million or 6.50 crore
During the inaugural player auction of the IPL cricket in 2008, the World Cup winning skipper was the most expensive choice. The Chennai Super Kings franchise picked up the erstwhile skipper for a whopping sum of $1.5 million. This salary was equivalent to INR six crores at the time.
2. Ishant Sharma – $0.95 million or 4.13 crore
Ishant Sharma is one of the most successful pacers in the history of Indian cricket, and has been playing for the country since he was 18. In the 2008 edition of the IPL, Sharma was picked up by the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders franchise for $0.95 million.
3. Irfan Pathan – $0.925 million or 4 crore
The medium pacer was one of the most valuable picks of the 2008 IPL edition, with Kings XI Punjab shelling out almost 4 crore INR to bag this terrific bowler. Pathan has been one of the staple players of the Punjab team, making a single season detour to CSK once.
4. Virat Kohli – $50 thousand or 12 lakhs
In the 2008 season of the IPL, Virat Kohli was in the U-19 bracket and was snatched up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore team for $50,000. He was the only player retained by the RCB franchise and has since become the face of the franchise and the team skipper as well.
5. Rohit Sharma – $0.75 million or 3.25 crore
Rohit Sharma is currently the most successful captain of the IPL, with 5 titles under his belt with the Mumbai Indians. In the inaugural edition, Sharma was snapped by the Deccan Chargers team and was paid a salary of $0.75 million. In 2021, his salary is $2.3 million.
List of IPL 2008 Salaries for “Icon” Players
“Icon” was a special status that the organizers gave to 5 experienced and famous Indian players, to ensure that they could represent their home city. Apart from their auction salary, they received a 15% bonus as “icon” player. Deccan Chargers petitioned to make V.V.S. Laxman an “icon” player, but Laxman sacrificed the salary bump so that the Deccan Chargers could spend more money on other players.
- Sachin Tendulkar: Tendulkar is the most famous batsman India has ever produced and he is synonymous with the city of Mumbai. It is not surprising that Mumbai Indians bought him in the 2008 auction for a whopping sum of $975,000. He also received a 15% bonus of this amount.
- Sourav Ganguly: The “Prince of Kolkata” and the former Indian skipper was almost immediately snapped up by the Kolkata Knight Riders team for a sum of $950,000. Since 2019, Ganguly has been serving as the President of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI), India’s highest cricket authority.
- Rahul Dravid: Dravid is the head coach of the 2021 U-19 Indian cricket team, and is one of the best defensive batsmen that India has ever had. Affectionately known as The Wall, Dravid was snapped up by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008 for a record breaking sum of $900,000.
- Yuvraj Singh: Yuvraj Singh is one of the most iconic middle-order batsmen of the team, and is fondly remembered by fans for hitting six sixes of Stuart Broad during the T20 World Cup. He was bought by Kings XI Punjab during the 2008 IPL for a sum of $925,000.
- Virender Sehwag: This hard hitting opener was also one of the key players given the status of “icon” during the 2008 IPL auctions. He was bought by the Delhi Daredevils team for $725,000 and absolutely demolished the opposing teams.
This has been a fairly comprehensive list of 10 of the most well-known “marquee” players of the Indian side and their salaries in the first edition of the Indian Premier League, back in 2008. Wanna look at more crispy updates? Then keep checking our updates!