Today we will discuss the salary of a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) player in the West Indies.
With the great T20 generation of the West Indies comprising of Gayle, Bravo, Pollard, Sammy, Russell, and more, the CPL has generated lots of hype over the years.
However, there’s one question on every cricket fan’s mind: just how much do these players make?
CPL Salary – By the Numbers
- The average salary of a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) player is $45,882 (maximum 17 players in squad with a maximum purse of $780,000). Hence, the maximum salary cap for the entire CPL was $4.68 million for a maximum of 102 players, divided among 6 teams.
- The average salary for a domestic Caribbean Premier League player is $40,993 ($2,992,500 purse for a total of 73 domestic players). The average salary for an overseas CPL cricketer is $60,089 ($1,682,500 for 28 signed overseas players).
- In CPL 2020, the salary amounts were cut by 30% due to COVID induced financial problems. It is unclear if the payments are back to the original amounts (In this article, we present the original salary amounts. For CPL 2020, the salary was reduced by 30% for players earning above $20,000 per season. For example, Round 1 picks would get $112,000 instead of $160,000).
- Compared to other leagues, CPL ranks at #9 in the richest cricket leagues (according to average salaries).
*Note: All amounts in US dollar ($).
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) – How Much Was Each Draft Pick?
The draft picks range from $3,000 (Round 15) to $160,000 (Round 1).
In addition, 2 emerging West Indies players can be selected in Round 16 & 17. We estimate their earnings to be between $1,000-$3,000.
| Draft Picks | Salary Amounts |
| Round 1 | $160,000 |
| Round 2 | $130,000 |
| Round 3 | $110,000 |
| Round 4 | $90,000 |
| Round 5 | $70,000 |
| Round 6 | $60,000 |
| Round 7 | $40,000 |
| Round 8 | $30,000 |
| Round 9 | $20,000 |
| Round 10 | $15,000 |
| Round 11 | $10,000 |
| Round 12 | $7,500 |
| Round 13 | $5,000 |
| Round 14 | $4,000 |
| Round 15 | $3,000 |
| Round 16-17 | $1,000-$3,000 |
Note*: The last public salary update was in 2020. Some of these amounts may have increased due to inflation and annual raises.
Also Read:
- An Open Letter from a West Indies Cricket Fan to those in Charge of West Indies Cricket
- Nicholas Pooran, A Story of Pain, Hope, & Inspiration: The Next Big Thing of West Indies & World Cricket
- Top 21 West Indian Fast Bowlers List (The Complete Guide) | Greatest West Indies Fast Bowlers of All Time (Updated 2024)
- Top 50 Greatest West Indies Cricketers of All Time: The Complete List (2023)
- Top 5 Greatest Cricket Teams Ever To Be Assembled
CPL Draft Picks – Salary of Caribbean Premier League Player
Here were the rules for the 2023 CPL draft:
- 17 maximum players per squad
- 5 maximum overseas players squad
- Teams can retain players from CPL 2022 & the 6ixty
- 4 overseas signings should have been signed before the draft while the fifth spot could be signed at any point
*Note: The overseas & marquee signings may be higher than the draft round the players were picked in. Also, Trinbago Knight Riders’ individual player salaries for CPL 2023 may be slightly higher since they only signed 16 players instead of 17.
1. First Round Draft Pick ($160,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Imad Wasim CPL Salary | Jamaica Tallawahs | Signed |
| Faf du Plessis CPL Salary | Saint Lucia Kings | Signed |
| Kieron Pollard CPL Salary | Trinbago Knight Riders | Retained |
| Evin Lewis CPL Salary | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Retained |
| Rovman Powell CPL Salary | Barbados Royals | Transferred |
| Imran Tahir CPL Salary | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Signed |
2. Second Round Draft Pick ($130,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Brandon King CPL Salary | Jamaica Tallawahs | Retained |
| Johnson Charles CPL Salary | Saint Lucia Kings | Retained |
| Andre Russell CPL Salary | Trinbago Knight Riders | Retained |
| Ambati Rayudu CPL Salary (Marquee)* | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Signed |
| Jason Holder CPL Salary | Barbados Royals | Retained |
| Shimron Hetmyer CPL Salary | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Retained |
*replacement for Tristan Stubbs
3. Third Round Draft Pick ($110,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Fabian Allen | Jamaica Tallawahs | Retained |
| Sean Williams* | Saint Lucia Kings | Signed |
| Sunil Narine | Trinbago Knight Riders | Retained |
| Andre Fletcher | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Retained |
| Kyle Mayers | Barbados Royals | Retained |
| Mohammad Haris/Rahmanullah Gurbaz* | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Signed |
*Sean Williams is the replacement for Dasun Shanaka. Gurbaz will come back in the second half, and Haris will fill in for him till then.
4. Fourth Round Draft Pick ($90,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Mohammad Amir | Jamaica Tallawahs | Signed |
| Alzarri Joseph | Saint Lucia Kings | Retained |
| Nicholas Pooran | Trinbago Knight Riders | Retained |
| Sherfane Rutherford | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Retained |
| Qais Ahmed/Mahesh Theekshana* | Barbados Royals | Signed |
| Odean Smith | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Retained |
*Theekshana will be at the Asia Cup for the first half of the tournament, and Qais Ahmed will fill in for him till he comes back.
5. Fifth Round Draft Pick ($70,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Alex Hales* | Jamaica Tallawahs | Signed |
| Roston Chase | Saint Lucia Kings | Retained |
| Rilee Rossouw | Trinbago Knight Riders | Signed |
| Dominic Drakes | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Retained |
| Laurie Evans* | Barbados Royals | Signed |
| Romario Shepherd | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Retained |
*Alex Hales replaces Naveen-ul-Haq. Evans is the replacement for Rassie van der Dussen.
6. Sixth Round Draft Pick ($60,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Chris Green | Jamaica Tallawahs | Signed |
| Jair McAllister | Saint Lucia Kings | Drafted |
| Akeal Hosein | Trinbago Knight Riders | Retained |
| Sheldon Cottrell | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Retained |
| Alick Athanaz | Barbados Royals | Drafted |
| Azam Khan | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Signed |
7. Seventh Round Draft Pick ($40,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Ben Cutting | Jamaica Tallawahs | Signed |
| Sikandar Raza | Saint Lucia Kings | Signed |
| Dwayne Bravo | Trinbago Knight Riders | Traded |
| George Linde | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Signed |
| Obed McCoy | Barbados Royals | Retained |
| Shai Hope | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Retained |
8. Eighth Round Draft Pick ($30,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Jermaine Blackwood | Jamaica Tallawahs | Drafted |
| Peter Hatzoglou | Saint Lucia Kings | Signed |
| Martin Guptill | Trinbago Knight Riders | Signed |
| Yannick Cariah | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Drafted |
| Kevin Wickham | Barbados Royals | Drafted |
| Saim Ayub | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Signed |
9. Ninth Round Draft Pick ($20,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Shamarh Brooks | Jamaica Tallawahs | Retained |
| Chris Sole/Bhanuka Rajapakskha* | Saint Lucia Kings | Signed |
| Noor Ahmad | Trinbago Knight Riders | Signed |
| Oshane Thomas | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Traded |
| Roelof Van der Merwe | Barbados Royals | Signed |
| Gudakesh Motie | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Retained |
*Chris Sole will be avialbe for the first five matches, after which Rajapaksha comes into the squad.
10. Tenth Round Draft Pick ($15,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Hayden Walsh Jr. | Jamaica Tallawahs | Transferred |
| Roshon Primus | Saint Lucia Kings | Retained |
| Matheesha Pathirana | Trinbago Knight Riders | Signed |
| Corbin Bosch | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Signed |
| Akeem Jordan | Barbados Royals | Drafted |
| Dwaine Pretorious | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Signed |
11. Eleventh Round Draft Pick ($10,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Raymon Reifer | Jamaica Tallawahs | Retained |
| Jeavor Royal | Saint Lucia Kings | Retained |
| Jayden Seales | Trinbago Knight Riders | Retained |
| Dewald Brevis | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Signed |
| Rakheem Cornwall | Barbados Royals | Retained |
| Kevin Sinclair | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Drafted |
12. Twelfth Round Draft Pick ($7,500)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Amir Jangoo | Jamaica Tallawahs | Retained |
| Shadrack Descarte | Saint Lucia Kings | Drafted |
| Mark Deyal | Trinbago Knight Riders | Transferred |
| Jyd Goolie | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Drafted |
| Donovan Ferreira | Barbados Royals | Signed |
| Keemo Paul | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Retained |
13. Thirteenth Round Draft Pick ($5,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Steven Taylor | Jamaica Tallawahs | Drafted |
| Khary Pierre | Saint Lucia Kings | Transferred |
| *Did not sign | Trinbago Knight Riders | Signed |
| Izaharulhaq Naveed | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Signed |
| Justin Greaves | Barbados Royals | Retained |
| Chandrapaul Hemraj | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Retained |
14. Fourteeenth Round Draft Pick ($4,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Shamar Springer | Jamaica Tallawahs | Retained |
| Leonardo Julien | Saint Lucia Kings | Drafted |
| Chadwick Walton | Trinbago Knight Riders | Drafted |
| Kofi James | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Drafted |
| Joshua Bishop | Barbados Royals | Retained |
| Ronsford Beaton | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Drafted |
15. Fifteenth Round Draft Pick ($3,000)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Nicholson Gordon | Jamaica Tallawahs | Retained |
| Matthew Forde | Saint Lucia Kings | Retained |
| Terrence Hinds | Trinbago Knight Riders | Drafted |
| Joshua Da Silva | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Retained |
| Nyeem Young | Barbados Royals | Retained |
| Kevlon Anderson | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Drafted |
16. Emerging Players (Rounds 16 & 17)
| Player | Team | Signed/Drafted/Retained |
| Kirk McKenzie, Joshua James | Jamaica Tallawahs | Retained, Retained |
| Kimani Melius, McKenny Clarke | Saint Lucia Kings | Drafted, Retained |
| Kadeem Alleyne, Jaden Carmichael | Trinbago Knight Riders | Drafted, Drafted |
| Ashmead Nedo, Johann Layne | St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots | Drafted, Drafted |
| Rivaldo Clarke, Ramon Simmonds | Barbados Royals | Drafted, Retained |
| Matthew Nandu, Junior Sinclair | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Retained, Retained |
Final Thoughts
The CPL have revived Caribbean cricket financially, but what can be done to revive West Indies cricket in general?
Are the CPL salaries good enough to incentivize growth in West Indies cricket?
Why or why not? Comment below, would love to know about your thoughts!
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) – Salary of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) player
The average salary of a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) player is $45,882 (maximum 17 players in squad with a maximum purse of $780,000). Hence, the maximum salary cap for the entire CPL was $4.68 million for a maximum of 102 players, divided among 6 teams.
No, the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the richest cricket league in the world. The CPL is the ninth richest cricket league in the world (based on average player salary).
Kieron Pollard makes $160,000 in the CPL in the West Indies
Imad Wasim, Faf du Plessis, Kieron Pollard, Evin Lewis, Rovman Powell, and Imran Tahir were the most expensive players in the CPL 2023 draft at $160,000. These signings were mixtures of overseas signings, trades/transfers, and retentions.
© Copyright @Nitesh Mathur and Broken Cricket Dreams, LLC 2023. Originally published on 08/13/2023. 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).
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