IPL 2020 Player Salary: Most underpaid and overpaid cricketers

IPL 2020 Player Salary: The IPL auctions are crazy. The auction price tag sometimes does no justice to some of the player’s on-field performances. While some get more than what they deserve, some get a fairly low salary in comparison to their caliber and performance. This mainly happens due to the lack of availability of a certain type of talent in the auction pool or vice versa. Here we look at 5 such players who do no justice to their price tag and 5 players who are paid less with regards to their on-field performances.

IPL 2020 Salary: Most Overpaid cricketers

1. Glenn Maxwell- 10.75 Cr

Glenn Maxwell is undoubtedly the first name that comes to our mind when we think about the over-paid cricketers of IPL 2020. This is now almost a yearly routine. Time in and time out, Maxwell gets picked up for a hefty sum in each and every auction and he fails. The only time that he proved justice to his price tag was way back in 2014. Apart from that dream year, he has disappointed in every other IPL, and IPL 2020 is no different. Before the start of the IPL 2020 season, he was picked up the Kings XI Punjab for a whopping 10.75 Crores. Kumble & co. hoped that he would replicate his international form to a fruitful IPL season. But what they got in return was a string of inconsistent and miserable on-field performances. In the 7 matches played so far he has scored just 58 runs at a miserable average of 14.5. A point to be noted is that Maxwell who is known for his power-hitting has scored these runs at a below-par strike rate of 95.1. ‘Overpaid’ is clearly an understatement in the case of Maxwell.

2. Kedar Jadhav- 7.80 Cr

The social media is flooded with the trolls against Kedar Jadhav. After CSK’s dismal show in the initial half of IPL 2020, the major blame has fallen on this middle order Indian batsman. Even though many other CSK players are going through such a phase right now, the one fact that goes against Jadhav in such conversations is his price tag, He was taken by CSK for an astonishing 7.80 Crores in the 2018 IPL auction. Except for the inaugural match of that season, he hasn’t been able to provide any match-winning innings for his franchise. And IPL 2020 has proved to be his worst season so far. In the 4 matches that he played, he has scored just 58 runs at an average of 19.3. But what strikes the most for a player that comes with the tag of a finisher is his strike rate, he scores at the rate of 98.3 even when his team was in a situation where they needed at least 10-12 runs per over.

3. Nathan Coulter Nile – 8 Cr

Actually, it’s not fair to put him in this category, but the fact that he is paid 8 Crores as salary to warm the benches calls for no other choice. Nathan Coulter Nile who comes with the tag of being a T20 specialist bowler and a pinch hitter hasn’t got a game so far. The franchise that he is picked for, Mumbai Indians have a strong bowling line-up consisting of Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and James Pattinson. And all these three are in form as well. Therefore the chances of him getting a match are slim and in that case, it is an utter waste of 8 Crores.

4. Karun Nair- 5.60 Cr

Karun Nair hasn’t been in the best of his form ever since he moved into Kings XI Punjab way back in 2018. He was picked up for a staggering 5.60 Crores. It’s safe to say that he hasn’t done any justice to that price tag whatsoever. He was even in and out of the playing eleven in the last few seasons. But the present KXIP captain and his dear friend KL Rahul gave him a chance in the playing XI ahead of an in-form Mandeep Singh at the start of the tournament. Scoring just 16 runs in those three matches that got picked, he threw away his place to Mandeep Singh, yet again.

5. Pat Cummins- 15.5 Cr

Pat Cummins hasn’t done anything bad. He is having a normal IPL 2020 season. But what works against his name is his hefty price tag. The absence of quality pacers in the IPL 2019 auction saw KKR spending a staggering 15.5 Crores on Pat Cummins. He was roped in to solve their death over problems. Despite going under the radar in the first match against Mumbai Indians he came back strongly and has given economical performances for the team in the matches that followed. But in that process, he has picked just 2 wickets so far that too after featuring in all seven matches and after bowling a total of 26 overs. If not for his hefty price tag, he wouldn’t be featuring on this list, but for 15.5 Crores these are very poor numbers.

[poll id=”10″]

IPL 2020 Salary: Most Underpaid cricketers

1. Mayank Agarwal- 1 Cr

Before the start of this season, Mayank Agarwal was almost considered as a Test Player. But ever since being pushed to the opening slot, he has made a name for himself as a bankable T20 opener. Opening with KL Rahul for KXIP he has scored 337 runs in just 7 matches. It includes two half-centuries and one century as well. He is placed second in the list just behind his captain in the race for the orange cap. His knocks have come at a better strike rate than that of Rahul’s and the fact that he is paid just 1/11^th of the total salary of Rahul is tough to digest. Yes, Mayank is paid just 1 Crore as his IPL salary. Very low for a player of his calibre.

2. Faf du Plessis- 1.60 Cr

CSK is having a season to forget. But if not for Faf du Plessis, it would have become even worse. He has singlehandedly carried the CSK batting line-up on his shoulders in the absence of Suresh Raina and even Ambati Rayudu right from the start of the tournament. In the process, he has scored 307 runs in 8 matches at an unbelievable average of 51.17. And still, the fact that he is paid just 1.60 Crores as his IPL salary that too in a franchise which pays Kedar and Chawla 7.80 and 6.75 crores respectively is beyond reasoning.

3. Jonny Bairstow- 2.20 Cr

Getting Jonny Bairstow for just 2.20 Crores in the auction that preceded the IPL 2019 was an absolute steal for SRH. Right from then, he has been a match-winner for his franchise. Scoring runs at a quick rate and playing the anchor role when needed, he has all those qualities that one would wish for in a T20 opener. He complimented his captain David Warner in 2019 really well. And in 2020, he is close to outscoring him. With 280 runs in 8 matches, he is 5^th in the race for the prestigious Orange Cap.

4. Devdutt Padikkal- 20 Lakhs

One of the rare smart moves that RCB did in their overall history in IPL auctions was securing young Devdutt Padikkal for his base price of 20 Lakhs in the IPL 2019 auction. This move came in way before his dream run in the 2019 domestic season. Opening the innings with Aaron Finch he surprised everyone by scoring  243 runs in just 7 matches. He also became the first player in the history of IPL to hit 3 fifties in the first four outings. A steal indeed!

5. Kagiso Rabada- 4.20 Cr

Kagiso Rabada is paid 4.20 Crores. This is a fairly good salary for any other bowler. But not for Rabada. With 17 wickets in 7 matches, he is way ahead of his competitors in the race for the purple cap. The second in the list, Trent Boult has just 11 wickets. It is also to be noted that Rabada’s tally of wickets has come at an economy rate of 7.70. These are fairly good numbers for a bowler who bowls the bulk of his overs at the death overs. It is safe to say that Pat Cummins’s 15.5 Crores ideally suits Kagiso Rabada much more than anybody else.

For more cricket news, click here.

[show_quiz quiz_id=”28″]