Our "poor" cricketers

Everyone’s tightening their belts. Except our cricketers, thanks to the IPL. They’re making even more than before. Top of the heap? Thanks to the purchase of Kevin Pietersen, “icon” Rahul Dravid’s annual salary from the Bangalore Royal Challengers went up to $1.78 million. Chump change when you look at what top sports stars are making internationally. Real Madrid’s new recruit, Cristiano Ronaldo, gets a $18.17 million annual cheque (up from the $12 million Manchester was paying him). Basketballer Tracy Mcgrady (Houston Rockets, $23.2 million) hasn’t got a raise this year, but he won’t complain: His salary is a shade higher than even Kobe Bryant’s. Way, way ahead of all of them, in Formula 1, which isn’t even a proper sport, Kimi Raikkonen makes $45 million a year.  (None of these figures include endorsements, which can push the take-home up by an order of magnitude. And we haven’t included sports like tennis or golf, where players don’t earn a salary.)