Rishabh Pant takes crown, Kohli pushed to second spot

The IPL 2025 season mega auction has reordered the most expensive player chart. Hitherto, former Indian captain and RCB star Virat Kohli was the highest earner in the IPL. This time, Royal Challengers Bangalore agreed to pay Rs 21 crore to retain Kohli, who belongs to BCCI's A Plus category players. Kohli, who has a BCCI A Plus category contract, earns an annual income of Rs seven crores. The former Indian captain thus annually earns Rs 28 crore, so far the highest among Indian players.

But with the IPL auction getting complete, the star Indian batsman has been pushed to the second spot. Another young star from Delhi has made it to the top of the table. It is Indian wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant. He will be getting Rs 32 crore annually from cricket alone.

This year, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) splashed Rs 27 crore to bring Pant to their camp. This is the record fee for a player in IPL history. Apart from this, Pant, a BCCI category A player, will get 5 crores per year, ensuring an annual total of Rs 32 crore from cricket.

Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer are the other two stars who topped the list in the IPL auction. Punjab Kings acquired Shreyas for 26.75 crores. Kolkata bought Venkatesh for Rs 23.75 crore. Both players are not under the BCCI contract.

With the BCCI contract ready to be renewed in 2025 March, Rishabh Pant’s annual income is likely to be raised further.