Overall players' payments in IPL are well behind other sporting leagues: Players’ Union

The Chief Executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association, Tom Moffat, made a straightforward remark, stating that the players in the IPL earn lesser as compared to major sporting leagues across the world. 

It is no secret that the BCCI pumps humongous amount of money for developing cricket in India. The introduction of the IPL (men’s top-tier league) and the start of the WPL (women’s top-tier league) has in turn contributed profusely to the apex board’s massive financial growth. Moreover, since 2020, the IPL registered a 75 percent growth in terms of valuation as it now stands at $10.9 billion, according to D and P Advisory.

Despite this, Tom Moffat, the Chief Executive of the Federation of International Cricketers’ Association stated that the players in the IPL and WPL are well behind in terms of their payments as compared to players in other major leagues around the world. 

“Players love playing in the IPL but there’s no doubt that if you look at it comparatively, as the percentage of overall revenue that the league generates, the overall player payments are well behind other analogous sporting leagues. We look forward to continuing to see the IPL and the WPL be successful and add to the players being paid fairly and proportionately to their contribution and other leagues around the world,” Moffat was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

As per the Telegraph, all 10 participating franchises receive £48 million per year from the BCCI, half of which is slated to be taken by the apex board themselves. After all the commercial settlements, the teams only pass a mere 18% of their earnings to the players in salaries. 

To put the comparison in context, in the Premier League (top-tier football league in England), as much as 71% of the revenue is paid to the players as part of their earnings. It is understood that the IPL which currently has a salary cap of £9.5 million, might see a slight increase to £10 million in the 17^th edition of the competition.