Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam has secured a landmark contract with Sydney Sixers for the Massive Bash League (BBL) 2025-26, marking his maiden stint in Australia’s premier T20 competitors. The deal, probably the most profitable in BBL historical past, cements Babar’s standing as one of many world’s most sought-after T20 cricketers. Nonetheless, even this spectacular payday falls effectively wanting the record-breaking earnings of India’s Rishabh Pant within the Indian Premier League (IPL) this yr.
Babar’s Massive Bash breakthrough
The Sydney Sixers introduced Babar’s signing as a pre-draft worldwide recruit, making him the centerpiece of their abroad lineup for BBL 15. The 30-year-old, with over 10,000 worldwide runs and a string of accolades together with ICC Males’s Cricketer of the 12 months (2022), will be part of the likes of Steve Smith and Moises Henriques because the Sixers look to reclaim the BBL crown.
Babar’s contract is reported to be value almost PKR 10 crore (approx. AUD 420,000), putting him within the Platinum wage bracket—the best grade for abroad gamers within the BBL. This makes him one of many top-paid gamers within the league’s historical past and a marquee signing for the Sixers, who had been the one franchise but to pre-sign an abroad participant earlier than the draft.
Wage construction of BBL
The BBL’s worldwide wage tiers for 2025 are as follows:
- Platinum: AUD 360,000–420,000 (approx. ₹2–2.36 crore)
- Gold: AUD 300,000 (approx. ₹1.68 crore)
- Silver: AUD 200,000 (approx. ₹1.12 crore)
- Bronze: AUD 100,000 (approx. ₹56 lakh)
Babar’s deal not solely tops the Platinum bracket but in addition units a brand new benchmark for Pakistani gamers within the league, with contemporaries like Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi and Shadab Khan additionally anticipated to command top-tier contracts.
Rishabh Pant’s IPL document nonetheless unmatched
Regardless of Babar’s document BBL deal, his earnings are dwarfed by Pant’s IPL contract. Within the IPL 2025 mega public sale, Pant was snapped up by Lucknow Tremendous Giants for a staggering ₹27 crore, the best wage ever for an IPL participant. Even after taxes and deductions, Pant’s in-hand wage stands at ₹15.52 crore—almost eight occasions what Babar will make within the BBL.
Pant’s IPL paycheck not solely displays the monetary may of the Indian league but in addition underscores the gulf between IPL and different T20 tournaments on the subject of participant remuneration.
