Explained in 10 points: How the IPL salary structure works

IPL auction. Big name players have struck it rich, while little known players have become household names, with multi-million dollar deals. But how exactly does the IPL salary structure work? Here's a quick explainer in 10 points: - The sum that the player is bought for becomes the player's salary (taxes are worked out accordingly). - There are no other claimants for the salary money, the amount is the player's alone. - All salaries are per season. So if a player is bought for Rs 10 Crore, he is paid that amount for one season's appearance. So, in case it's a three year contract, he will be paid Rs 30 Crore (Rs 10 Cr per season, depending on availability). - In 2008, when the IPL began, the bid amounts and salaries were in US dollars. At that time the exchange rate was fixed at Rs 40 per US dollar. In 2012, the system was shifted to Indian rupees (INR).

- If a player is bought, say on a three year contract, and then retained for the next season (when there's no auction coming up), there is a contract extension at the same price as the salary that was being paid earlier (This can differ from case to case in case the team wants to give the player a raise while negotiating contract extension. Usually most players are retained with salary hikes). - If a player is available for the full season he will be paid the full amount irrespective of the number of matches he has played or been selected for. - If a player has to pull out due to injury before a season begins the franchise doesn't have to pay the player. However, if the player is available only for a fixed number of matches in the season and not the full season he is paid on a pro-rata basis, usually along with a 10% retainer. - If a player wants to be released before