5 highest-paid cricket captains of the world

Cricket is considered to be one of the most popular sports in the world. It draws a lot of attention. Captaining a cricket team is a difficult task and attracts a lot of the limelight. It is also an unrewarding job in the sport.

Cricket captains are centrally contracted to their respective boards along with fellow cricketers. They earn a good amount of money for the work they do as a captain. The contracting cycle might be different in different nations. But the term duration is generally for one year and the contract gets renewed every year.

The BCCI is the richest board in the world. The earnings of the board are estimated to be a few thousand crores.

Temba Bavuma

Temba Bavuma took over as the captain in the limited-overs format from Quinton de Kock earlier this year. He is the first permanently appointed black African captain of the South African team.

The top-order batter was predominantly seen as a Test cricketer for the African team. To date, he has represented South Africa in only nine ODIs and eight T20I games. He would have proved himself with a couple of mega-events lined up over the next few years.

Meanwhile, Bavuma earns INR 2.5 crore for captaining the South African team. He is the fifth highest-paid cricket captain in the world.

Dean Elgar

Dean Elgar was entrusted with leadership duties in the Test format after South Africa lost to Pakistan 0-2.

Elgar has established himself over the years as a responsible player. The director of Cricket South Africa (CSA) showed trust in the senior batter. Elgar enjoys an excellent record in Test cricket. He has scored 4260 runs from 67 games at an average of 39.41.

Aaron Finch and Tim Paine

Tim Paine and Aaron Finch took charge to change the face of Australian cricket after the ‘sandpaper gate’ incident in 2018 in Johannesburg. Paine was given the captaincy for the Test format while Finch took charge of the limited-overs formats.

Steve Smith was removed from captaincy for his involvement in the ball-tampering saga.

Since taking over, the duo has somewhat managed to restore Australia’s pride. Although the Australian side is no longer invincible as before. But Paine and Finch made sure that the cricketers played the game in the right spirit.

Meanwhile, Finch and Paine are annually contracted by Cricket Australia. Both the cricketers earn INR 4.87 crore per year. They are the third highest-paid cricket captains in the world.

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is the richest cricketer in the world. His net worth is almost INR 1000 crores considering all of his income. It includes his salary from BCCI, the money he earns from playing in the IPL, various brand endorsements, and the assets he owns.

Kohli earns INR 7 crore from the BCCI annually for being a Grade A+ cricketer. He is currently the second-highest-paid captain of a cricket team.

Meanwhile, Kohli has taken Indian cricket to greater heights but he is yet to win an ICC event as captain. He would thereby have his eyes set on the upcoming ICC World Test Championship final followed by the T20 World Cup.

Joe Root

Joe Root leads the England Cricket Team in the Test format. He is the highest-paid captain in the world for leading a cricket team. Root annually earns INR 8.97 crore from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

The ECB is not as rich as some other boards like the BCCI but they ensure their players are paid well for their work.

He took over as the captain of the English team in 2017. He has led the team into winning 26 out of 50 games. His next international event would be the two-match Test series against New Zealand, starting June 2.

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