This was published 3 months ago
Cameron Green just made a record $4.17m. But the IPL will keep $1m
Updated ,first published
Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has become the most expensive international player in Indian Premier League history, but will forgo more than $1 million of his $4.17 million salary due to a new rule for overseas signings.
Green took his place for Australia on Wednesday in the third Ashes Test after being picked up by Kolkata Knight Riders for 252 million rupees (25.2 crore) in the 2026 IPL player auction.
The 26-year-old’s price was driven up by a three-way bidding war between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings after he sat out this year’s tournament while recovering from back surgery.
His deal trumps the previous overseas record 247 million rupees (24.75 crore) the Knight Riders paid for Test teammate Mitchell Starc in late 2023, though a favourable exchange rate at the time pushed that figure to $4.43 million for the veteran left-armer.
However, Green will only take home approximately $2.98 million (180 million rupees or 18 crore) following the IPL’s introduction of a “maximum fee” rule last year.
International players’ earnings are capped at 18 crore regardless of how high bidding for a player goes, with any remuneration above that figure going into a BCCI-controlled player welfare fund.
The rule was introduced to appease franchise concerns that international players could target inflated paydays at mini auctions, and aims to protect the market value of local Indian players as well.
Green’s new deal ranks as the third largest of any player in IPL history, behind only Indian stars Rishabh Pant (27 crore) and Shreyas Iyer (26.75 crore).
Fellow Australians Jake Fraser-McGurk and Spencer Johnson went unsold in Tuesday night’s mini-auction, as did English wicketkeeper Jamie Smith.
Green could soon become even richer, with Cricket Australia (CA) considering longer-term contracts. Green is among 23 Australians on an annual contract with CA.
“We have got an open mind to having a longer-term commitment to those players,” CA chief executive Todd Greenberg told reporters in Adelaide on Wednesday.
“Particularly in the next couple of years when there’s an enormous workload of Test cricket and they’re going to have to make some distinct choices about their availability.
“The short answer is yes, we are open to longer-term deals for the right players at the right parts of their career.
“Over time, players have always had an annual one-year contract. But over the last couple of years we’ve been starting to open up our minds to a longer term [deal], and that’s exactly what we’re thinking now.”
The specifics of CA contracts are not released publicly, though Test captain Pat Cummins is understood to be on about $3 million. Green and others who feature in Test and white-ball cricket, such as Travis Head, are believed to be on CA deals worth well in excess of $1 million.
Starc is one of 10 Australians already retained by their current IPL franchises, along with Test teammates Pat Cummins and Head. Josh Hazlewood, who was ruled out of the Ashes due to an Achilles injury, has also been retained by defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).
Green has played two seasons of IPL previously with RCB (2024) and Mumbai Indians (2023), scoring 707 runs at 41.6 and a strike-rate of 153.7 from 29 matches. His 16 wickets across both campaigns have come at 41.5 and an economy rate of 9.07.
Green will play as an all-rounder for the Knight Riders and he looms as a key figure in Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign in February, having batted at No.4 for the past year, averaging 57 at a strike rate of 162.
His lucrative payday also comes after a light-hearted explanation from the West Australian of why he was originally listed as solely a batsman in the IPL auction’s registration process.
“I don’t know if my manager will like to hear this, but it was a stuff-up on his end,” Green told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
“He didn’t mean to say batter. I think he accidentally selected the wrong box, so it was pretty funny how it’s all played out, but it’s actually a stuff-up on his end. I’ll be good to bowl.”
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