IPL Players Highly Underpaid, Reveals Data

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The Indian Premier League (IPL) is the richest cricket league on the planet and the per match value of an IPL match is second after National Football League (NFL), a professional American football league. One NFL match has a value of 140 crore approximately, while one IPL match carries a value of 127 crore approximately.

However, the players in the IPL are highly underpaid, a research has revealed. According to a report in The Telegraph, IPL players collectively receive about 18 per cent of the team’s revenue each season. This is about one-third of what players from other major sporting leagues earn.

At least half of the NBA’s revenue is paid to the players in salaries, while that figure jumps to 71 per cent for the English Premier League, according to Deloitte.There are growing calls for the IPL salary cap to increase for the same reason.

Speaking to The Sydney Morning Herald this week, Australian Rugby League Commission chair Peter V’landys claimed players receive 41 per cent of the NRL’s revenue, while AFL football earn about 28 per cent of the league’s revenue, as outlined in the 2017-2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Each of the ten franchises in the IPL has a salary cap of Rs 99 crore approximately, which is expected to increase slightly to Rs 103 crore in 2024. The elite players in the league pocket seven-figure contracts, while a lot of uncapped players receive just Rs 20 lakh for a season. Notably, player unions are currently barred in India.

After last year’s whopping Rs 48390 crore broadcast deal, IPL teams are hoping the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) to increase the competition’s salary cap.

“Players love playing in the IPL, but there’s no doubt that if you look at it comparatively, as a percentage of overall revenue that the league generates, overall player payments are well behind other analogous sporting leagues,” Tom Moffat, chief executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations, told Telegraph Sport this week.

“The IPL has changed the game and the BCCI has done a fantastic job – it’s one of the leading sporting competitions in the world and that is reflected in the per game value it generates.

“We look forward to continuing to see the IPL and WPL be successful and to players being paid fairly and proportionately to their contribution to the success of these and other leagues around the world.”

A recent report suggested that IPL franchises, who have invested in leagues around the world, are actively pursuing Australian and English cricketers with lucrative 12-month deals, where they would be asked to abandon international commitments and be full dedicated to league cricket. The Times reported that Rs 51 crore has been offered to to at least six English players to leave England and county cricket.