IPL 2020 Auction Live – 13 days to go: Are bowlers really underpaid

Batsman set up wins but it’s the bowlers who win the games in cricket. Despite the harsh reality, the willow has been the glamorous tool and the bowlers and the leather have remained at the receiving end.

The scenario does not change even in the professional sphere of the Indian Premier League where winning is more important than any individual excellence. Still, bowlers over the years have been ‘poor laborer’ in the trade worth millions of dollars.

The riches list of the IPL will have only Sunil Narine among the top ten salary aggregators across all seasons of the cash-rich league. The gap among the highest-paid IPL bowler Narine and Harbhajan Singh in the number two position remains a yawning one – a sharp contrast to the packages of the batsmen, three of whom have breached into the ₹100 crore IPL Moneyball club.

Only two bowlers till date have been able to exceed ₹ 50 crores in their aggregate IPL salary contracts. Also, there is just one bowler who is earning more than ₹ 10 crores in a single season as he tops our Moneyball Salary Calculator table for the top ten highest earning IPL bowlers.

Also Read: IPL 2020 AUCTION: 971 players register for 73 spots up for grabs

InsideSport.co brings to its readers top ten bowlers aggregate earners as per the professional sports league’s salary calculator platform Moneyball.

Number 10 – Rashid Khan

The new age sensation from Afghanistan who will play only his fourth season in IPL, all with Sunrisers Hyderabad has finally made it into top 10 of Moneyball Salary Calculator for bowlers. The number 1 ranked T20 bowler is earning higher and higher every passing season and with  ₹ 31,00,00,000 in only four, Rashid Khan is ranked 10 in our Moneyball Salary Calculator.

Number 9 – Ashish Nehra

Finishing off his IPL career with Sunrisers Hyderabad and one league title, Ashish Nehra has been an important member for them. Earning a decent amount throughout his IPL career and even after retiring in 2017, he aggregated ₹ 31,53,00,000  and finds a place in top 10 earning bowlers in our Moneyball Salary Calculator.

Number 8 – Amit Mishra

Veteran leggie Amit Mishra who has been associated with IPL Delhi franchisee for better part of his career is all set to play another season with the Delhi Capitals as they have retained the veteran wrist spinner yet again. With earning ₹4 crores in the upcoming season and aggregating ₹ 31,75,00,000 in through his career in the league, Mishra is at number 8 in our Moneyball Salary Calculator.

Number 7 -Zaheer Khan

Another veteran of the game who played for three different franchises over his span of 10 years in IPL ended with being the skipper of Delhi Daredevils back in 2017. The fast bowling sensation once upon a time still features in the top 10 list even after his retirement with an aggregated sum of ₹ 32,42,00,000.

 Number 6 – Umesh Yadav

Getting retained for yet another year with his third franchisee since his debut in 2009 IPL, Umesh Yadav has become a force to deal with. Leading the pace attack of RCB in 2020, Yadav is contracted for ₹4.2 crore for this season. With earning ₹33,59,00,000 in IPL, Yadav features at number 6 in our Moneyball Salary Calculator.

 Number 5 – Bhuvneshwar Kumar

2020 being the seventh season for Bhuvneshwar Kumar with Sunrisers Hyderabad, the pace spearhead was an integral part of their title win in 2016. Having started his journey from ₹ 6 lakh for a season way back in 2009 to earning ₹8.5 crore in the current season, Bhubaneswar has come a long way ahead. With  ₹43,22,62,000 since 2009, he stands at number 5 in our Moneyball Salary Calculator.

Number 4 – Dale Steyn

The Protea is the only player in the top 10 club to go into the auction on December 19, hoping to get a franchisee for IPL 2020. Despite having not played IPL in 2017 and 2018 due to injury and only finding a team in 2019 as a replacement, Steyn with an aggregate sum of ₹ 43,65,08,250 features at number 4 in our Moneyball Salary Calculator.

Number 3 – Lasith Malinga

Another veteran of the game with four IPL titles with Mumbai Indians has only featured in Mumbai since the inception of the IPL. Donning the blue jersey over the years, Malinga is an integral part of the MI Paltan. He over the years has earned ₹48,22,19,500 and takes the bronze in our Moneyball Salary Calculator.

Number 2 – Harbhajan Singh

The highest-paid Indian bowler in the IPL who played for Mumbai Indians for 10 years, winning three titles, was eventually released in 2018 only to win another title in 2018 with his new team Chennai Super Kings. A consistent earner throughout his career in IPL with aggregate salary contacts of ₹ 56,14,00,000 over the years has made him secure the second spot in our Moneyball Salary Calculator.

Number 1 – Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine is the only bowler from this list who also features in top 10 overall highest-paid players in IPL. Played just for a single franchisee since his debut in 2012 for Kolkata Knight Riders, Narine has earned ₹ 82,74,78,000 in his IPL career and tops our Moneyball Salary Calculator chart for bowlers. He is also the only bowler to earn more than 10 crores currently and is also the highest-paid player of Kolkata Knight Riders.  His all-round ability adds a certain premium for this Caribbean veteran of Indian descent.

Also Read: IPL 2020 Auction 14 Days To Go: Highest earners in Moneyball