Top 5 T20 leagues and their most expensive players

T20 cricket came to the fore in the early 2000s and ever since then, the format has grown into a colossus. The shortest version originated in England after which a number of countries started adopting it. The Indian Premier League (IPL) started back in 2008 and has been a witness to players earning big amounts.

Several massive names from around the world have taken part in the T20 league. Nations like Pakistan, West Indies, New Zealand, Bangladesh, and many more, also came up with their own domestic franchise-based T20 leagues.

Over the years, the leagues have been a massive source of income for a number of players. But in their respective leagues, some of them earn the big amounts mostly due to their consistent shows, both at the international and domestic circuits.

In the article, let’s take a look at the Top 5 T20 leagues and their most expensive players:

1. BPL- Tamim Iqbal- INR 42 lakhs

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) was scrapped for the previous season. In the season prior to that in 2019-20, Tamim Iqbal turned out to be the most expensive player. Back then, he played for the Dhaka Platoon.

The Chattogram-born was placed in the A+ category and he fetched a price of BDT 5,000,000, translating to around INR 42 lakhs. In the BPL, Tamim has played for five teams and has scored 2221 runs at an average and strike rate of 36.40 and 120.96 respectively.

He has scored 19 half-centuries and his only century came in the form of an unbeaten 141, playing for the Comilla Victorians in the final of the 2019 BPL against the Dhaka Dynamites. Recently, Tamim also completed 14,000 runs for Bangladesh at the highest level.

2. CPL- Rashid Khan- INR 81.56 lakhs

Rashid Khan, the Afghanistan leg-spinner has come up the ranks in the last five years or so. The tweaker has already played two seasons in the CPL after making his debut in 2017 for the Guyana Amazon Warriors. In 2020, he turned up for the Barbados Tridents, led by Jason Holder.

In 22 CPL matches, the Nangarhar-born Rashid has picked up 25 wickets at an excellent economy rate of 6.27. In the 2020 CPL, he fetched a price of $112,000, which translates to approximately INR 81.56 lakhs. In the previous edition, he picked up 11 wickets from 10 matches at an economy rate of 6.85.

He also bowled a maiden showing that the batters were wary of taking him on. Overall in his T20 career, the youngster has already picked up 360 wickets from 259 matches after making his debut back in 2015.

3. PSL- Babar Azam- INR 1.09 crores

Babar Azam is currently the all-time leading run-scorer in the history of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). In only 52 matches, the right-hander has scored 1774 runs at an average and strike rate of 41.25 and 120.59 respectively.

He used to play for Islamabad United after which he shifted to the Karachi Kings, led by all-rounder Imad Wasim. Babar hasn’t disappointed by any stretch of the imagination. In the 2020 edition of the PSL, he fetched 2,30,44,000 PKR, which translates to around INR 1.09 crores.

The Lahore-born batter doesn’t go for the big and booming shots, yet he manages to score runs at a brisk rate. It’s also a reason why he mostly stays in the top five of the ICC rankings for batters across formats. Going forward, he is expected to break quite a few records, keeping in mind his potential.

4. BBL- D’Arcy Short- INR 1.89 crores

D’Arcy Short might have strained to keep his spot in the Australian national team, but when it comes to the BBL, he has been a stalwart. After making his debut in the tournament back in 2016, the batting all-rounder has only played for the Hobart Hurricanes.

Along with the very experienced wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, he has stitched together plenty of match-winning partnerships for his team. Short is the most expensive player in the history of the BBL with a price of $258,900, translating to around 1.89 crores IST.

In fact, he is the only player above the $250,000 bracket. In 57 matches, Short has scored 2109 runs at an average and strike rate of 40.55 and 138.93 respectively with two tons and 18 half-centuries. Short is no mug with the ball as with his leg-spin, he has picked up 29 wickets.

5. IPL- Virat Kohli- INR 17 crores

Virat Kohli was picked to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the 2008 Indian Premier League (IPL) after he led India to glory in the U19 World Cup. He is currently the leading run-scorer in the history of the T20 tournament.

In 199 matches, Virat has scored 6076 runs at an average and strike rate of 37.97 and 130.41 respectively. In fact, the right-hander from Delhi is the only batter in the 6000-run club. For a player, who has only been with one franchise, Kohli has a salary of INR 17 crores.

He withdrew the massive cheque back in 2018 and has been earning the same amount since then. Apart from earning the big bucks, Kohli would be expecting for his team to win an IPL title. Kohli is approaching 33 and is speculated to take down a few records. Even for Team India, he has put his best foot forward.