Imagine you are working a steady job.
It is respected, maybe even tied to your identity. But the hours are long, the travel never stops, and the pay? Stagnant.
Then one day, the phone rings.
A new offer: Triple the money, fraction of time. Less stress, more benefits.
What would you do—Stay loyal or take the deal?
Legacy or Livelihood: Dilemma Facing Modern Cricketers
Nicholas Pooran and Heinrich Klaasen made their choices.
They were not dropped. They simply walked away.
Why? Because they received better offers.
Pooran stepped away from international cricket at 29. Klaasen followed at 33. The one that started the trend: Quinton de Kock left Tests at 29 and all internationals by 31.
International cricket once offered pride, purpose, and legacy. But today, that is no longer enough. One IPL deal can outpay a decade of national contracts. T20 leagues offer flexibility, certainty, and family time. International cricket? Long tours, lower pay, and a scheduling mess.
Pooran knows better than most that life is fickle. His own story is one of redemption and inspiration. But one injury, one crash, or one bad year, and it can all be over.
Key Takeaways
- Nicholas Pooran could earn $3.09-$4.03 million across 9 franchise leagues and play around 91 matches in a year (more if team qualifies for playoffs/finals).
- In contrast, a West Indies central contract and international match fees would only add about $130,000-$180,000.
- Had they signed central contracts, Klaasen and Pooran would have earned just 5-16% and 3-6% respectively of their total income from international cricket.
- By comparison, top players from the wealthier big 3 boards earn significantly more from internationals:
- Joe Root: 83.43% of $1.63 million, Mitchell Starc: 32-38% of ~$2.3 million, and Virat Kohli: 32% of $3.9 million
*Note: We will only look at national contracts, match fees, and franchise league income (not sponsorship or miscellaneous income).
How Much Does Nicholas Pooran Earn from Franchise Leagues?
Cricket West Indies (CW) is actually in its strongest financial position in years. As detailed in our financial deep dive, CWI turned a $21 million deficit into a $46 million surplus.
For the first time in a decade, they can afford to host 3-match Test series, upgrade infrastructure, and explore player retention strategies.
And yet, it was not enough to keep their biggest star.
Nicholas Pooran does not play Tests and has not featured in an ODI since 2023 (arguably is his strongest format). And with West Indies failing to qualify for the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2025 Champions Trophy, his international workload had vanished.
West Indies players typically earn between 100,000-$150,000 through central contral plus match fees: $5750 (Test), $2300 (ODI), $1735 (T20I).
Pooran’s Estimated Salary: $3,140,200 – $4,114,200
If Pooran had signed a central contract, he would have earned just 3.35-6.61% from international cricket. Here is how the numbers stack up:
- Central Contract: $100,000-$150,000 (If he had signed the national contract)
- Match Fees: $31,200 (he played 18 T20Is in the last 12 months)
- IPL Salary: $2.1 million
- IPL Match Fees: $126,000
- Other Franchise League Salary: $783,000-$1,807,000
If he continued playing international cricket, he would likely need to drop two franchise leagues, costing him $200,000-$400,000 in total earnings. That would bring his total down to $2.74 million-$3.91 million.
Percent of Annual Income from Central Contract: 3.35-6.61%
Nicholas Pooran’s Salary Breakdown (Franchise Only)
Pooran will most likely earn the most sought after prices in each of the franchise leagues. We have provided an estimate of each of his leagues (based on averages and maximum cap the league has).
Earning about $3.09-$4.03 Million from 91 matches means he earns about $33,000-$43,000 per T20 league game. That’s more than most people’s annual household income.
Even we round up that T20I match fees to $2000, one T20I game only earns Pooran about 6% of what one franchise T20 game can earn him.
No Tests, no ODIs, 6% of T20 income, what motivation does Pooran have to sign the national contract?
Pooran League by League Salary Estimates
| Salary | Number of Matches | |
| IPL | $2.1 Million | |
| IPL (Match Fees) | $126,000 | 14 |
| BBL | $196,000-$275,000 | 10 |
| ILT20 | $150,000-$272,000 | 10 |
| SA T20 | $110,000-$250,000 | 10 |
| Hundred | $103,000-$270,000 | 8 |
| MLC | $92,000-$200,000 | 7 |
| PSL | $66,000-$300,000 | 10 |
| CPL | $46,000-$160,000 | 10 |
| BPL | $20,000-$80,000 | 12 |
| Total | $3.09-$4.03 Million | 91 |
91 days in franchise cricket does not sound like much, but this does not include training, travel, and jet lag. 91 match days means he will rarely have time between leagues.
Notes:
- Nicholas Pooran was a wildcard pick in 2024 SA T20, where the minimum price is 175,000 ZAR ($9890), but this salary is outside the salary cap.
- The ILT20 is going to cut its salary cap by 20% in the upcoming season and go to an auction model. The maximum price earlier for ILT20 was $340,000. Reducing it by 20%, we get our estimate of $272,000. In addition, wildcard signings for this season can go up to $250,000
- We show maximum estimates from franchises, but Pooran will most likely not play all leagues. For example, with the PSL clashing with the IPL now, he will most likely give up the $66,000-$300,000 income or only pay a couple of games and receive a pro-rated amount.
Klaasen’s Estimated Salary ($3,514,823 – $3,913,518)
In a previous piece, we saw that Heinrich Klaasen will potentially earn an additional $251,600-$602,000 annually without a South African contract. Here’s his breakdown had he signed a contract.
- Central Contract: $68,000-$363,000 (If he had signed the national contract)
- Match Fees: $145,000-$221,000
- IPL Salary: $2.74 million
- IPL Match Fees: $126,000
- Active Franchise League Salary: $435,823-$463,518 (MLC, SA20, The Hundred)
Percent of Annual Income from Central Contract: 5.44-16.62%
The Big 3 vs the Rest: Exactly How Much More Money are India, England, and Australia Paying?
Pooran and Klaasen are top tier players for their teams. How does their income compare with the top tier players of the Big 3?
We look at Joe Root (England), Virat Kohli (India), and Mitchell Starc (Australia) since they are most likely receiving their country’s highest contracts.
Joe Root Salary ($1,629,520)
- Central Contract: ~£800,000 ($1,079,520)
- Match Fees: £207,500 ($280,000)
- £162,500 (Tests), £45,000 (ODIs)
- Hundred: ~£200,000 ($270,000)
Percent of Annual Income from Central Contract: 83.43%
Maximum Days of Cricket: 86 Days (65 – Tests, 9 – ODIs, 12 – Hundred)
England’s national contracts can go as high as £800,000 ($1,079,520) and the top category for the Hundred at £200,000 ($270,000). In addition, match fees for England internationals is as follows: £12,500 (Test), £5,000 (ODI) and £3,500 (T20I).
In the last 12 months, Joe Root has played 9 ODIs and 13 Tests taking his match fee total to £207,500.
Since Joe Root is contracted by ECB, he does not receive extra County salary, but can play for County teams when availability allow (For context, a non-centrally contracted England player earns a minimum of $29,000 and an average of $125,000 from County cricket).
Also Read: Ranking England’s 65 Greatest Cricketers of All Time (Men’s)
Virat Kohli Salary ($3,896,820)
- Central Contract: $817,820
- Match Fees: $435,000
- IPL Salary: $2.5 million
- IPL Match Fees: $144,000
Percent of Annual Income from Central Contract: 32.15%
Maximum Days of Cricket: 95 Days (45 – Tests, 27 – ODIs, 20 – T20Is, 17 – IPL)
Virat Kohli earns about $817,820 (Rs. 7 Crore) as A+ national contract.
The match fees for Indian cricketers is: $17,500 – 15 Lakh Rs (Test), $7,000 – 6 Lakh Rs (ODI), and $3,500 – 3 Lakh (T20I). At his peak in 2022-2023 when he played all formats, Kohli earned about $435,000 in match fees between 2022-2023 when India played 9 Tests, 27 ODIs, and 20 T20Is)
*This excludes ~$50,000-$75,000 for IPL winning bonus and player of the match awards.
Mitchell Starc Salary ($2,281,750 – $2,481,750)
- Central Contract: $600,000-$800,000
- Match Fees: $145,750
- $126,750 (Test), $28,800 (ODI), $19,000 (T20I)
- IPL Salary: $1.4 million
- IPL Match Fees: $136,000
Percent of Annual Income from Central Contract: 32.68-38.11%
Maximum Days of Cricket: 63 Days (35 – Tests, 6 – ODIs, 5 – T20Is, 17 – IPL)
“Australia’s lowest central contract is US$225,000 although the vast majority, if not all, of Australia’s Test XI, would be earning more than US$600,000.”
The match fees tiers are as follows: $12,500 USD (Home Test), $17,725 (Away Test), $4,800 (ODI), $3,800 (T20I). In the last 12 months, Starc has played 7 Tests (5 home, 2 away), 6 ODIs, and 5 T20Is.
*Starc has not played in the Big Bash for about a decade. An Australia player who plays BBL and 3 formats can earn an additional $200,000-$300,000 to what Starc is earning.
The Bottom Line
International cricket is crumbling in front of our eyes.
QDK, Pooran, and Klaasen won’t be the last ones to walk away. If ICC and the national boards do not get their act together soon (which they probably won’t), the fabric of international cricket will be completely destroyed.
They have forced a question that we can no longer ignore:
Choice 1: The Professional’s Choice
Franchise leagues offer higher pay, more personal freedom, and more chances to be a ‘big fish in a small pond.’ With only 4-5 years of peak, cricketers need to earn to live off the next 40-50 years of their lives. From this lens, leaving the international arena is not abandonment. It is a necessary decision.
Choice 2: The Purist’s Stand
Playing for one’s country represents history and purpose. T20 leagues pay well, but they do not build a legacy. And how much is enough? Isn’t one IPL league good enough to complement international cricket? At some point, the player needs to meet the cricket board halfway.
Now that you know the salary estimates, put yourself in their shoes.
What would you choose? Would love to know your thoughts. Comment Below.
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Here are all of our salary breakdowns for different franchise leagues:
Other Sources:
© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC 2023. Originally published on 06/11/2025. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Broken Cricket Dreams with appropriate and specific direction to the original content (i.e. linked to the exact post/article).
