Chris Gayle, David Warner NOT amongst overseas players in top 10 earners in IPL history

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is one of the biggest and richest T20-based franchise tournaments in the world. The cash-rich league is a blend of cricket and entertainment which has been significant in changing the commercial scenario of cricket in the country. Over the years, franchises have been seen shelling out big money to get the services of the players they want. In fact, there have also been times when players have been sold for way less than what they deserve. 

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AB de Villiers, Shane Watson make it to top 10 IPL earners list, Chris Gayle nowhere near

When we talk about the top 10 earners in IPL history so far, CSK captain and dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman MS Dhoni occupies the first position with an IPL income of ₹1,37,84,00,000. The CSK captain was the costliest player at the inaugural IPL auctions and since then, his value has only increased. MS Dhoni is followed by Mumbai Indians skipper Rohit Sharma, who has earned ₹ 1,31,60,00,000 from the IPL. 

The next three names in the list are current India and RCB captain Virat Kohli (₹1,26,20,00,000) and Gautam Gambhir (₹94,62,00,000), who called it a day on his IPL career in 2018. Due to Suresh Raina's absence from the tournament, at No. 5 is South African stalwart AB de Villiers, who is the overseas player with the most money earned from the IPL. AB de Villiers, who has been RCB's batting mainstay for nearly a decade, has earned a whopping ₹91,51,65,000 from his IPL contracts, including the 2020 season.

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The last four names in the list feature Suresh Raina (₹88,74,00,000), Yuvraj Singh (₹84,60,50,000), Sunil Narine (₹82,74,78,000), Shane Watson (₹77,13,48,250) and Robin Uthappa (₹75,27,67,000). What comes as a surprise is the fact that the likes of Sunil Narine and Shane Watson have made it to the list while players like Chris Gayle and David Warner, who have set the lucrative league on fire with their explosive batting, are nowhere near these players in IPL earnings. In fact, Narine began his IPL career only in 2012 with Kolkata Knight Riders, while Watson was priced at a mere ₹25,00,000 for the first three seasons he had with Rajasthan Royals.

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Chris Gayle and David Warner have been two of the most fierce batters in the history of the cricketing extravaganza. While Chris Gayle has won two Orange Caps, David Warner has three to his name. Both Chris Gayle and David Warner have scored over 4500 runs each in the IPL and have been the linchpins of their respective sides.

However, their IPL earnings have been considerably low than the above-mentioned players. Chris Gayle's IPL earnings are approximately ₹56.56 crore. On the other hand, David Warner's IPL earnings come up to ₹58.5 crore approximately. Both Chris Gayle and David Warner's contributions to their respective franchises have been immense but their IPL earnings perhaps do not do justice to their talent and efforts.

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IMAGE COURTESY: IPLT20.COM