Sunil Gavaskar, Ravi Shastri Highest Earners From BCCI: Report

New Delhi: Former India captains Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri fetch more money from cricket’s richest board than does the current one, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The Indian daily on Monday printed a story in which it said that Gavaskar and Shastri, both of whom commentate on television and hold roles for the Indian cricket board, are the highest-paid BCCI retainers with estimated annual incomes or Rs 6 crore each.

Shastri was recently confirmed as director of the Indian team until the 2015 World Cup, a role he was given after the Test series defeat in England, while Gavaskar is head of IPL operations. For their respective roles, the pair received an added bonus of Rs 2 crore which, considering their already had annual contracts worth Rs 4 crore as BCCI-endorsed commentators, takes their yearly income from the board to Rs 6 crore.

In comparison, MS Dhoni has over the past one year fetched Rs 2.49 crore from his on-field role (35 international matches) and a retainer or Rs 1 crore.

The Indian Express quoted an unnamed BCCI official as saying: “The board pays Shastri and Gavaskar Rs 4 crore annually as commentators. As per Supreme Court orders, Gavaskar will be paid an extra Rs 2.37 crore. Roughly the same will be given to Shastri.” The report also estimated that Gavaskar sent the BCCI an invoice of Rs 2.37 for the previous IPL season.

Earlier this year, Forbes magazine ranked Dhoni as the fifth most financially valuable athlete in the world, behind Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, LeBron James, Phil Mickelson and Maria Sharapova. Forbes valued Dhoni at 21 million dollars, but that was without factoring in his earnings from lucrative endorsements.

With his commercial deals estimated to fetch him a whopping $26 million per year, the Indian captain is apparently the word’s eight highest paid sportsperson. Dhoni makes six and a half times more money on endorsements than he does on salaries/winnings (Rs 4 crore).