NEW DELHI: Batting star Virat Kohli will pick up the Indian Premier League’s largest-ever salary — $2.7 million — in this year’s tournament, with a host of big foreign names including Australian captain Steve Smith also cashing in.
Kohli will stay with Royal Challengers Bangalore alongside South Africa’s AB de Villiers, who will earn $1.7 million in the cash-rich event started by the Indian cricket board in 2008.
The Indian captain’s salary for the eight-team, 20-over tournament spread over two months beats the $2.5 million earned by allrounder Yuvraj Singh with Delhi in 2015.
Delhi Daredevils announced Ricky Ponting as head coach for the 2018 season. The batting legend coached Mumbai Indians to the 2015 title during a two-year stint.
Australian batsmen Smith and David Warner were also retained by their teams for $1.9 million each, making them the highest-paid foreign stars.
Smith will play for the Rajasthan Royals, returning from a two-year ban over match-fixing, and Warner with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Chennai Super Kings, also returning to IPL after a two-year suspension, have former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni back on board.
But Kohli — who recently married Indian Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma — remains the top draw for the extravaganza in April and May.
Nicknamed King Kohli, the 29-year-old batsman is already listed among the world’s highest-paid athletes after smashing numerous records in his career.
He recently became the first batsman to score six double Test centuries as a captain.
Each team was allowed to re-sign up to three of their 2017 squad before the players are subject to bids from other teams in the auctions slated for January 27 and 28.
Another star performer, Ben Stokes, will be looking to re-enter the IPL fray in the auctions after he was granted a “no objection” certificate by the England and Wales Cricket Board.
The England allrounder, who missed the ongoing Ashes after being suspended for a pub brawl, was signed for a record fee of $2.16 million by Rising Pune Supergiant last year.
Kohli earns record $2.7 million salary for 2018 IPL campaign
Kohli earns record $2.7 million salary for 2018 IPL campaign
ICC rejects Bangladesh demand to shift T20 World Cup matches outside India
- Bangladesh had refused to tour India, demanded to play World Cup matches in Sri Lanka
- Tensions surged after Bangladesh cricket star was dropped from Indian Premier League
NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council on Wednesday rejected Bangladesh’s demand to shift their matches at next month’s Twenty20 World Cup outside India, dismissing any security threat to the team following political tensions between the South Asian neighbors.
Uncertainty loomed over the global showpiece after Bangladesh refused to tour India and demanded to play their matches in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament.
The stalemate prompted an emergency ICC board meeting in which the governing body decided against tinkering with the tournament schedule.
“The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India,” the ICC said in a statement.
“The ICC board noted that it was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and that altering the schedule under the circumstances, in the absence of any credible security threat, could set a precedent that would jeopardize the sanctity of future ICC events...”
It leaves Bangladesh with the options of either changing their stance or getting replaced in the 20-team tournament beginning on Feb. 7.
Political relations have soured between the neighbors in recent times and Bangladesh player Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) despite him signing for its Kolkata franchise.
Bangladesh responded by refusing to tour India and banning broadcasts of the IPL in the country.
An ICC delegation arrived in Dhaka last weekend to find a solution but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) stuck to its guns.
“Despite these efforts, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its players’ involvement in a domestic league,” the ICC said alluding to Mustafizur’s IPL snub.
“This linkage has no bearing on the tournament’s security framework or the conditions governing participation in the T20 World Cup.”
Pakistan will play their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka in keeping with their policy of not touring India over geopolitical tension between the neighbors.
