Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are currently dominating headlines with their participation in the 2025-26 Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT) - their appearance in domestic cricket highlights a massive disparity between their commercial value and the standard match fees of the domestic circuit.

For these legends, playing for Delhi or Mumbai is a matter of pride and match practice, as the financial rewards at this level are a tiny fraction of their overall earnings.

In the Vijay Hazare Trophy, player salaries are determined by experience and the number of matches played in a season.

Senior players like Kohli and Rohit, who have played over 40 domestic matches, fall into the highest bracket of BCCI’s domestic pay structure.

As of the current season, a senior player earns ₹60,000 per match day. Since the Vijay Hazare Trophy is a one-day format, each match concludes in a single day.

Therefore, for their recent outings, Kohli and Rohit earn exactly ₹60,000 per game when part of the playing XI. To put this in perspective, their combined match fee for a VHT game wouldn't even cover the cost of a premium business-class ticket between the tournament venues.

Pay is fixed by BCCI, unlike IPL auction system

Salaries are based on the number of List A matches played

Player earnings are divided into Senior, Mid-Level, and Junior categories

Playing XI: ₹60,000

Reserves: ₹30,000

Playing XI: ₹50,000

Reserves: ₹25,000

Playing XI: ₹40,000

Reserves: ₹20,000

The domestic fees pale in comparison to their earnings as "Grade A+" cricketers. Both stars are part of the elite BCCI Central Contract bracket, which guarantees them an annual retainership of ₹7 crore.

Beyond the retainer, they earn significant match fees for every international appearance:

Test Matches: ₹15 lakh per match.

ODIs: ₹6 lakh per match.

T20Is: ₹3 lakh per match.

Indian Premier League is where their financial dominance is most apparent. Following the 2025 mega-auctions and retentions, both players command astronomical figures.

Virat Kohli was retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for a staggering ₹21 crore, while Rohit Sharma’s contract with Mumbai Indians sits at ₹16.30 crore.

When you break down their IPL salaries, they earn roughly ₹1.1 crore to ₹1.5 crore per match.