IPL has become the grandest T20 league in the world, with players from all over the world wishing to be a part of this competition. The reason behind it is that the competition level has increased a lot in the last 12 years and a player who succeeds in the IPL proves that he deserves to play international cricket.
Several legendary players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, VVS Laxman, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Gautam Gambhir, Zaheer Khan, and several others have been a part of this league. While these players received a high price in the first auction itself, in this article, we will look at those 8 Indian stars who earned in lakhs first, but now are among the top earners of the league.
6.Virat Kohli – First Salary -12 lakhs, Current Salary – 17 Crore
The captain of the Indian cricket team, Virat Kohli was a part of the U-19 draft in the first season of 2008. Royal Challengers Bangalore snapped him for just 1.2 million INR.
Twelve years have passed since then and today, Virat Kohli’s contract is worth 17 Crore! Kohli is the highest run-getter in IPL history. However, the RCB star is yet to win his first IPL trophy.
5.Sanju Samson – First Salary – 8 lakhs, Current Salary – 8 Crore
Very few fans might know that Sanju Samson was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders squad that won the IPL in 2012. Samson had a contract of 8 lakhs INR only in that season.
Later, he moved to Rajasthan Royals and has become one of the top wicket-keepers in India right now. Samson was retained by Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2020 for a price of 8 Crores INR.
4.Bhuvneshwar Kumar – First Salary – 6 lakhs, Current Salary – 8.5 Crore
Bhuvneshwar Kumar began his IPL journey with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2009. Kumar had shown signs that he could be the next big thing in the Indian fast bowling department.
After some magnificent performances for India, Bhuvi earned a deal from Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2014. His value has increased over the years and is now worth 8.5 Crores.
3.KL Rahul – First Salary – 10 lakhs, Current Salary – 11 Crore
KL Rahul is the captain of Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2020. The Karnataka star started his IPL journey as a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2013. His home franchise signed him for mere 10 lakhs.
RCB did not retain Rahul for a long time and it is a decision that they will regret. They tried to sign him in 2018, but KXIP outbid them with a bid of 11 Crore.
2.Hardik Pandya – First Salary – 10 lakhs, Current Salary – 11 Crore
Hardik Pandya’s journey from bottom to top has inspired many people. Pandya, who recently became a father, started his IPL career at Mumbai Indians in 2015.
The Baroda-based all-rounder has become one of the best cricketers on the planet right now and his current IPL price of 11 Crore highlights how far Hardik has come in just five years.
1.Manish Pandey – First Salary – 6 lakhs, Current Salary – 11 Crore
Another member of India’s U-19 World Cup winning team of 2008, Manish Pandey was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the draft for a price of just 6 lakhs INR.
The right-handed batsman is a part of Sunrisers Hyderabad now. He was bought for a monumental sum of 11 Crore INR in the 2018 mega auction.
