Often hailed as one of the most popular sports in the world, the game of cricket is undoubtedly followed by millions of sports aficionados from all over the world. With the growing prominence and popularity of the game, the annual cricket contracts of the majority of cricketers have also witnessed an unprecedented rise in their value and are currently worth millions. In addition to the annual cricket contracts, the legendary international cricketers also earn an enormous fortune through highly lucrative brand endorsement deals and sponsorship programs. Have you ever wondered about the top four cricketers who have successfully bagged the most expensive annual contracts in the history of the game? Well, let’s find out.
In this article we will take a look at the top four most expensive annual cricket contracts ever signed by cricketers in the history of the game.
Top 4 Most Expensive Cricket Contracts in History
-
Rishabh Pant
The trailblazing Indian international cricketer, Rishabh Pant, is at the first spot in our list of the top four cricketers who have signed the most expensive annual contracts as of January 2026. Rishabh Pant was picked up by the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) franchise for a staggering INR 27 crore in the IPL 2025 auction which continues to be the highest bid ever made by a team to sign a cricketer across all formats of the game. The wicket-keeper-batsman and the current vice-captain of the Indian national cricket team in the test format, Rishabh Pant was also made the skipper of the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 edition.
-
Shreyas Iyer
Read More
At the second spot in our list of the top four most expensive annual cricket contracts ever signed by cricketers in the history of the game, we have Shreyas Iyer’s unbelievable annual contract with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 edition for a staggering worth of INR 26.75 crore which continues to be the second-highest bid ever made by a franchise at an auction in the history of the game.
Owing to his skyrocketing bid value worth INR 26.75 crore, Shreyas Iyer delivered numerous sensational performances throughout the IPL 2025 edition and scored a total of 604 runs in IPL 2025 at a blistering strike rate of around 175 and played a crucial role in leading the Punjab Kings (PBKS) franchise to the final game of the season, entirely justifying his second-highest bid value at the IPL 2025 auctions.
-
Cameron Green
Read More
Next, at the third spot in our list of the top four cricketers who have successfully bagged the most expensive annual contracts, we have the Australian international cricketer, Cameron Green, who is often hailed as one of the most reliable and successful all-rounders in the history of the game. Cameron Green was acquired by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise in the IPL 2025 auction for a staggering INR 25.20 crore, making it the third-highest bid as of January 2026 across all formats of the game.
In addition to being the third-most expensive player of the season, Cameron Green also established himself as the most expensive overseas player signed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise ahead of the IPL 2025 edition, which garnered him immense praise and recognition from the millions of cricket aficionados and hardcore fans of the Indian Premier League (IPL) from all over the world.
-
Mitchell Starc
Finally, at the fourth spot in our list of the top four most expensive annual cricket contracts ever signed by cricketers in the history of the game, we have Mitchell Starc’s highly lucrative annual contract signed with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise, ahead of the IPL 2025 edition which was worth an astounding INR 24.75 crore which continues to be the fourth most expensive contract ever signed by a cricketer in the history of the game. Owing to his high-priced contract worth INR 24.75 crore, Mitchell Starc delivered numerous sensational and path-breaking innings throughout the IPL 2025 edition and ended up picking a record total of nine wickets in three appearances that he made throughout the tournament.
