IPL Teams Not Top Paymasters; Royal Challengers Bangalore 41st, Chennai Super Kings 42nd Among Global Leagues
Royal Challengers Bangalore, which employ superstars like Ab de Villiers and Virat Kohli, pay annual wages of approximately Rs 29 crores. Football club Paris St Germain pay more than double!
India's cricketing fraternity may have been dumbfounded when Delhi Daredevils paid a whopping Rs 16 crore to Yuvraj Singh at the IPL auction in February this year, but a look at the Global Sports Salaries Survey for 2015 reveals IPL franchises as not so great pay masters. Only six of the T20 league teams make it to the top 50 big spenders.
According to website Sporting Intelligence, Royal Challengers Bangalore pay $4,503,571 (approximately Rs 286,481,162 @ 1 USD = Rs 63.5) to their players annually. Studded with stars like Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers the figure may not be a complete surprise, but RCB are 41st in the list of global sports paymasters. (Despite IPL, Cricket Not Amongst Most Paying Leagues)
RCB are followed by Chennai Super Kings ($4,474,321, approx Rs 284,620,508; 42nd), (Mumbai Indians - $4,470,607, Rs 284,377,814; 43rd), (Sunrisers Hyderabad - $4,378,679, Rs 278,530,013; 45th), (Kolkata Knight Riders - $4,362,429, Rs 277,496,300; 47th).
Delhi Daredevils, who paid Yuvraj that record paycheck this year, are 48th with $4,341,536 (Rs 276,167,277). Rajasthan Royals ($4,075,500; Rs 259,244,592) and Kings XI Punjab ($4,039,750; Rs 256,970,517) are 59th and 61st, respectively. (Controversies Dominate IPL 2015)
The survey only takes into account earnings for playing sport and ignores income from commercial endorsements or other activities.
The 2015 report looked at 333 teams in 17 leagues across 13 countries in seven sports: football, baseball, basketball, American football, cricket, ice hockey and Australian Rules football.
The IPL salaries will seem like peanuts, especially when compared with what French football side Paris Saint-Germain pay their players. The French champions at $8.236 million (appox: Rs 528,396,784), pay higher salaries than any other team in world sport.
Real Madrid are next on the list with an annual salary of $ 7.89 million (Rs 502,671,800). English Premier League giants Manchester City, who topped the poll in 2014, have slipped to third place with an average yearly wage of $ 7.86 million (Rs 500,248,316).