The Indian Premier League begins this month where the biggest names in cricket will fight it out for the most coveted franchise title in the sport.
The size and impact of the IPL has been such that a clear window has been created for it in the beginning of summer, allowing cricket boards to release their players for it and thus avoid any potential friction between players eager to earn fabulous sums and boards looking to hold on to their star names.
And just to illustrate how far things have come, New Zealand all-rounder Michael Bracewell was this week replaced in the national squad by Rachin Ravindra for a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, after the former was selected as a replacement pick by Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Unfortunately, one of the best T20 teams in the world – Pakistan – continues to be denied a chance to put their best talent on display in the cash-rich league due to political considerations in India.
Still, the IPL is the Eldorado of cricket for many. The media rights for IPL have been sold for $6 billion for the next five years, promising a bigger slice of an already substantial central pool pie for franchises.
Teams will also be fighting for a similarly huge payday if they win the final, or reach the play-off stages of the tournament.
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England all-rounder Sam Curran will be the top earning player in IPL 2023 with a salary of 185 million rupees ($2.26m) playing for Punjab Kings. PA -
Australia's Cameron Green will earn 175m rupees ($2.14m) playing for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2023. AFP -
KL Rahul (Lucknow Super Giants): 170m rupees ($2m). Sportzpics for IPL -
Ben Stokes (Chennai Super Kings): 162.5m rupees ($1.98m). AFP -
Nicholas Pooran (Lucknow Super Giants): 160m rupees ($1.95m). AP -
Ravindra Jadeja (Chennai Super Kings): 160m rupees ($1.95m). Sportzpics for IPL -
Rishabh Pant (unavailable, Delhi Capitals): 160m rupees ($1.95m). Sportzpics for IPL -
Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders): 160m rupees ($1.95m). Sportzpics for IPL -
Rohit Sharma (Mumbai Indians): 160m rupees ($1.95m). Sportzpics for IPL -
Ishan Kishan (Mumbai Indians): 152.5m rupees ($1.86m). Sportzpics for BCCI
How much prize money will the winners of IPL receive?
The prize money for the winners of the IPL has grown substantially over the years. As of now, the winning team will receive a cheque of a cool 200 million rupees ($2.4 million). Here is the breakdown of the prize money:
Winners: 200 million rupees ($2.4 million)
Runners-up: 125m rupees ($1.5m)
Third place: 70m rupees ($840,000)
Fourth place: 65m rupees ($780,000)
Schedule
The IPL begins on March 31 with a match between champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings in Ahmedabad. The final will take place on May 28, again at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
How to watch IPL 2023 in the UAE
All IPL matches will be shown live on Criclife 1 on the Starzplay app in the UAE. Match highlights can be seen on IPL's website iplt20.com
