Steve Smith and David Warner are set to become the highest paid Australians in the history of the Indian Premier League, after they were both snapped up for more than $A2 million.
Australia’s two batting dynamos dominated the IPL last season, with Warner topping the run-scorers list with 641 at 58.27 while Smith was fourth with 472 runs to his name.
And the pair were rewarded in kind on Thursday night.
Warner was retained by the Sunrisers Hyderabad, while Smith will play with the returning Rajasthan Royals, both for $A2.4 million.
Smith’s contract means he will move from the Rising Pune Supergiants, who replaced the suspended Royals for the 2016 and 2017 seasons.
It also comes a day after former Australian captain Michael Clarke warned that the world’s best batsman would need to monitor his workload in coming years.
The deals overtake the $A2.01 million contract Shane Warne inked with the Royals in 2011, and is well above the $A1.07 million the pair were both listed as being signed on last year.
They’re unlikely to be the only Australians set to profit big from this year’s tournament.
A new broadcast deal worth $A3.2 billion has caused the salary cap to rise by 20 per cent to $A16.28 million this year – more than the player spend for all eight Big Bash League clubs combined.
Mitchell Starc has already indicated he will nominate for the January 27 and 28 auction in Bangalore, while a more open schedule means the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Glenn Maxwell could all benefit.
Allrounder Mitchell Marsh has already confirmed he won’t play in the competition in 2018, after signing with English county club Surrey in the hope of readying himself for next year’s Ashes.
Meanwhile Indian captain Virat Kohli also signed the most lucrative deal in the history of the IPL, retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore for $A3.4 million on Thursday – eclipsing Yuvraj Singh’s $A3.2 million in 2015.
Brainstrust
Guest
Kohli had a down year and he gets a pay rise, his endorsements would be a lot bigger than his salary anyway. Warner was tremendous last season in the IPL top scorer second top average. Smith was pretty good average with an okay strike rate, but one thinks he is getting extra money because of his leadership. Maxwell had his best IPL season with batting decent average at a very high strike rate and bowling at a good economy rate and wickets. Lynn had a freakish striker rate with a 50 average, if can remain fit he only played 7 matches. So you would put Warner,Lynn and Maxwell as three of the best. Henriques had his best batting better than SMith but shocker with the ball. The one that might suprise people is Tye. He combined some great slogging with the bat with great bowling, only played 6 matches So he could be one of the big money getters. It depends who is off contract and as we saw with the NBA nothing beats being off contract when they raise a salary cap.
Oingo Boingo
Guest
Good coin for a few games if cricket....How the game has changed.
Maggie
Guest
There was nothing wrong with what Michael Clarke said. And it wasn't a warning - that is an emotive way to describe an innocuous aside made in the course of Clarke's unqualified praise of Smith's batting.
Mike from tari
Guest
Was enjoying your article until you mentioned Michael Clarke, but continued reading it & am just wondering if this money goes to the players????