IND vs PAK Asian Games 2026 Final: India will face Pakistan in the gold-medal match of the Asian Games 2026 at Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday, October 3. While the focus will be on the battle for the gold medal, the Indian playing XI also features several established cricketers with significant earnings from the Indian Premier League (IPL) and BCCI central contracts.
India’s squad for the Asian Games includes Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma and Axar Patel, among others. The BCCI’s official 2025-26 central-contract list places Iyer in Grade B, Bumrah in Grade A, and Samson, Abhishek and Axar in Grade C.
For the IPL component, official IPL records show the league fees attached to the players’ contracts. The IPL has also introduced a separate ₹7.5 lakh match fee for every playing member per match, including the Impact Player, in addition to the contracted amount for the 2025-27 cycle.
1. Shreyas Iyer
BCCI central contract:Grade B
IPL league fee: ₹26.75 crore
Shreyas Iyer tops this list based on his officially documented IPL league fee. Punjab Kings secured the India batter for ₹26.75 crore at the 2025 mega auction, making him the second-most expensive player in IPL history at that time. The official IPL profile confirms his Punjab Kings association for IPL 2026.
Iyer is also part of the BCCI’s Grade B central-contract category for the 2025-26 season. The BCCI’s current list places him alongside players including Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Mohammed Siraj, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Suryakumar Yadav and Washington Sundar.
2. Jasprit Bumrah
BCCI central contract:Grade A
IPL league fee:₹18 crore
Jasprit Bumrah remains one of India’s most highly remunerated cricketers. The BCCI has placed the Mumbai Indians fast bowler in Grade A for the 2025-26 central-contract cycle.
The official IPL retention records show Bumrah’s Mumbai Indians retention value at ₹18 crore. Mumbai Indians retained him as part of their core squad for the IPL 2025 cycle, and he continues with the franchise.
3. Sanju Samson
BCCI central contract: Grade C
IPL league fee:₹18 crore
Sanju Samson is another Indian player with an ₹18 crore IPL league fee.
The official IPL 2026 trade announcement confirmed that Samson moved from Rajasthan Royals to Chennai Super Kings at his existing ₹18 crore league fee. The announcement also described Samson as an experienced IPL player with 177 appearances at the time of the trade.
The BCCI’s 2025-26 central-contract list places Samson in Grade C.
4. Axar Patel
BCCI central contract:Grade C
IPL league fee:₹16.50 crore
Axar Patel is the important addition to the list. The all-rounder is part of India’s Asian Games squad and was included in the playing combination for the gold-medal campaign. The BCCI’s 2025-26 central-contract list places him in Grade C.
The official IPL 2025 retention document records Delhi Capitals’ retention deduction for Axar Patel at ₹16.50 crore. This puts him ahead of Abhishek Sharma and Shivam Dube in the IPL-fee comparison.
Axar was also retained by Delhi Capitals for the IPL 2025 season, according to the official IPL retention announcement.
5. Abhishek Sharma
BCCI central contract:Grade C
IPL league fee:₹14 crore
Abhishek Sharma completes the five-player list. The young left-hander was retained by Sunrisers Hyderabad ahead of IPL 2025, with the official IPL retention information recording his retention value at ₹14 crore.
The BCCI has also included Abhishek in Grade C for the 2025-26 central-contract cycle.
Abhishek is part of India’s Asian Games squad and has been one of the team’s key T20 batting options during the tournament. The BCCI’s Asian Games squad announcement lists him alongside captain Shreyas Iyer, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel and the other members of India’s squad.
What About BCCI Match Fees?
The BCCI’s latest 2025-26 central-contract announcement provides the players’ contract grades, but it does not state a new rupee amount for each grade or publish a new international match-fee structure in that release.
Therefore, it would be misleading to attach a specific current salary amount to Grade A, Grade B or Grade C in this article without a separate current BCCI notification.
The safest comparison is to report the players’ official BCCI contract category alongside their officially documented IPL league fee.
IPL Match Fee Is Separate
There is another component to IPL earnings. Under the official IPL Player Regulations for the 2025-27 cycle, every player in the Playing XI receives a ₹7.5 lakh match fee per match. The regulation also states that the Impact Player receives the same fee and that it is paid in addition to the player’s contracted amount.
Therefore, an IPL player’s earnings can include the contracted league fee as well as applicable match fees during the season.