Date:07/05/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/05/07/stories/2008050761022200.htm

Sport - Cricket

Earnings of players set to go over the roof

Melbourne: The DLF-Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to scrap the $5 million cap on the players’ salaries from next season onwards, a move that could see top cricketers earn as much as a whopping $15 million (Rs. 61 crore approx).

The IPL had put a cap of $5 million (just over Rs. 20 crore) for the franchises this year to prevent the very rich team owners from splurging too much. But with the inaugural edition turning out to be a major success, the players are set to reap the rewards in the next season.

“If we hadn’t done that, I can tell you that our players would already be the highest-paid across any sport in the world,” IPL chairman and commissioner Lalit Modi was quoted as saying in The Daily Telegraph.

“It will happen — if not today, then tomorrow. Because once the franchises have established themselves, it will be a free-for-all,” he added. The report stated cricketers like Matthew Hayden and Brett Lee could expect a several-fold hike in their pays when they go back to play the next season. — PTI