Dylan Bettencourt
Kagiso Rabada has earned himself a mega-money move to the Punjab Kings for R18,6 million.
That means the 26-year-old bowler will earn R45,600 for every delivery he bowls during his Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign.
Rabada was South Africa’s most expensive player at the IPL auction over the weekend.
Workload management, injuries and international duty are major factors that affect how much he earns but the league’s salary structure means that the Protea player will earn his full auction price this year.
If Rabada is played in all of the 17 IPL fixtures this season he will earn R45,600 per delivery, and that amount would increase if the Punjab Kings fail to make it to the play-offs.
International duty with the South African cricket team could see the price for each ball increase even further as he could miss out on three fixtures because of the Proteas upcoming series.
The Proteas are due to face Bangladesh from 18 March until 12 April which clashes with the IPL.
His new team the Punjab Kings will be hoping Cricket South Africa (CSA) allow Rabada to miss some international encounters; if he is to stay with the Proteas for the whole series, he could miss half of the IPL games.
Missing out on that many matches would see his price per ball increase to around R70,000.
Former Proteas player Faf du Plessis was the second most expensive South African at the auction when he was signed for R14 million by the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Du Plessis could earn around R1 million for every time he bats during the round-robin fixtures.
The IPL is set to begin on 2 April and conclude three months later on 3 June in a three-month spectacle of fast-paced T20 cricket.
Image source: @KagisoRabada25
