Virender Sehwag’s first IPL salary was less than Ishant Sharma’s

One of the most feared openers of all time, Virender Sehwag was one of the few batsmen that new ball bowlers feared. When the ‘Nawab of Najafgarh’ got going, he believed in only hitting boundaries and sixes. 

His quick run-scoring capabilities had made him a valuable prospect in 2008 edition of the Indian Premier League. The 41-year-old was bought by the Delhi Daredevils for $834,000 (₹3.3 crore back then) and became the iconic player for the franchise then. 

The tournament’s then rule stated that five players of the IPL should be given the status of iconic players in order to ensure that top draw players will represent their respective home city sides, which was important for the league to increase fan support and interest among the locals. 

According to the rules at that time, the iconic player should receive 15% more money than the highest paid player of the team. Since Gautam Gambhir was the highest-paid player who was bought by the Delhi Daredevils  for USD $725,000, Sehwag received an additional 15% to Gambhir’s IPL 2008 salary. 

In spite of this, Sehwag’s salary was lower than many of that time’s youngsters. India pacer Ishant Sharma was the costliest player for Kolkata Knight Riders and was bought at USD $950,000, thus, making him earn higher than his Delhi Ranji Trophy teammate and India team senior Sehwag.