From Dravid to McCullum: Who Is Cricket’s Highest-Paid Coach?

Cricket has seen a sudden uprising with new teams coming in at the international platform every year. The sport has made its initial presence felt in European countries and some new Asian countries as well.

It is for the same reason, that the demand for a good coach is on the rise and the cricket boards are ready to pay big amounts of money for the same. In the last decade, cricket boards have hired the services of some of the best former cricketers who carry the potential to coach.

In this article, we have compiled a list of some big cricket coaches who have signed a contract with the respective cricket board with a hefty amount in their banks.

1) Rahul Dravid – Rs 10 Crore

The Indian cricket legend and the current head coach of team India – Rahul Dravid, is set to leave the designation after the T20 World Cup 2024. However, when he came into action for team India, Dravid signed a contract on a salary of 10 Crore. His 3-year term has come to an end and BCCI is looking for a new individual to take his place.

Dravid took the charges from Ravi Shastri and took Indian cricket to the next level. He will be remembered for his silent coaching style and for nurturing new talent for future challenges.

The only thing which Rahul Dravid missed out on during his stint as the coach was winning an ICC trophy for the team. The team reached the final of the ODI World Cup but faced a defeat against Australia in 2023.

2) Andrew McDonald – Rs 6.5 Crore

The current coach of the Australian national squad – Andrew McDonald comes second on the list with a salary of Rs 6.5 Crore. Andrew McDonald signed the contract in 2022 and had a successful stint with the Aussies. He helped the team win the World Test Championship and the recently held ODI World Cup in 2023.

His education in coaching comes from domestic grounds as he started his coaching career with Leicestershire and Victoria in 2016 and 2017 respectively. He was also involved in coaching Melbourne Renegades from BBL and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.

3) Brandon McCulluam – Rs 4 Crore

The current coach of England’s Test squad – Brandon McCulluam has been in the headlines recently. He has completely transformed English Test Cricket with his aggressive approach and invented the term “Bazball” in combination with skipper Ben Stokes.

McCulluam has been criticised by the cricket pundits for his baseball approach because the team has received mixed results. He currently earns a salary of Rs 4 Crore with England and in the ongoing cycle of the World Test Championship, the ECB has high hopes for the former New Zealand legend.

It will be interesting to see how McCullam bring in positive results for England in the upcoming Ashes tour which is planned to take place in the month of September.

4) Gary Stead – Rs 1.74 Crore

Gary Stead had a very short journey with New Zealand cricket as a player in the year 1999. He was part of the Test squad but was unable to play the game even for a year. However, Stead has been one of the most successful coaches for New Zealand. Under his guidance, New Zealand won the World Test Championship in 2021.

He currently has a contract with the Kiwis on a salary of Rs 1.74 Crore. Stead will be remembered for revolutionising New Zealand cricket after he is appointed the coach. The team also reached the finals of the T20 World Cup 2021 and ODI World Cup 2019.