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The Indian Premier League is certainly the biggest cricket event that takes place around the globe. Whatever is done in an IPL season is always huge, and one can say that an IPL deal can change the situation of a cricketer and make him financially strong. Not just cricketers; even umpires or match officials are paid big bucks in an IPL season.
How Much Do IPL Umpires Get Paid?
Here we will talk about the salaries of umpires, what other bonuses they earn, and who are the highest paid umpires in the IPL. A salary for an IPL umpire is mainly divided into two grades: elite umpires and developmental umpires. Notably, foreign umpires are getting paid similarly to Indian umpires.
- Elite umpire: These officials are those who are on the ICC’s Elite Panel. They get a salary of USD 2650 (approximately INR 1.98 lakh) per match.
- Developmental Umpire: These officials are the regional umpires that work on the domestic circuit. They get a salary of USD 790 (approximately INR 59 thousand) per match.
List of IPL 2025 Umpires & Their Salary
| Name | Country | Span | Salary per Match | IPL Matches officiated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitin Menon | India | 2016-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 94 |
| Chris Gaffaney | New Zealand | 2015-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 77 |
| KN Ananthapadmanabhan | India | 2016-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 65 |
| Bruce Oxenford | Australia | 2012-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 64 |
| Rod Tucker | Australia | 2011-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 62 |
| Virender Sharma | India | 2016-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 56 |
| Yeshwant Barde | India | 2017-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 33 |
| Nand Kishore | India | 2016-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 31 |
| Ulhas Gandhe | India | 2019-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 23 |
| Jayaraman Madanagopal | India | 2021-2023 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 | 20 |
| Michael Gough | England | 2021-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 18 |
| Nikhil Patwardhan | India | 2022-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 13 |
| Tapan Sharma | India | 2021-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 13 |
| Saiyed Khalid | India | 2021-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 12 |
| Navdeep Singh | India | 2021-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 12 |
| Sadashiv Iyer | India | 2022-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 12 |
| Rohan Pandit | India | 2022-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 11 |
| Vinod Seshan | India | 2023-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 7 |
| MV Saidharshan Kumar | India | 2023-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 6 |
| Akshay Totre | India | 2023-2023 | ₹ 59,000.00 | 6 |
What other perks does an IPL umpire earn?
Fixed Contract:
Well, it will not be a wrong statement to say that the IPL governing committee pays a handsome amount of money per match, as mentioned above. An umpire stands in an average of 20 matches in an IPL season, and apart from that, there are other ways to earn money as well.
Sponsorships:
An IPL tournament is the best platform to get noticed by big brands and business bodies. That is why we see massive deals and sponsorships in every IPL match. Different companies offer sponsorship deals to show their logo on the umpire’s shirt. Hence, every umpire gets a sponsorship amount of INR 7.33 lakh per season.
Playoff Bonus:
There are some extra perks during the playoff stage. The umpires that stand during eliminator games get paid an extra fee per game. Notably, only elite umpires can qualify for the playoff stage.
Top Highest Paid Umpires in the IPL
| Umpire | Span | Region | Match | Per Match |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitin Menon | 2016-Till Now | India | 94 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 |
| Chris Gaffaney | 2015-Till Now | New Zealand | 77 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 |
| KN Ananthapadmanabhan | 2016-Till Now | India | 65 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 |
| Bruce Oxenford | 2012-Till Now | Australia | 64 | ₹ 1,98,000.00 |
5. Bruce Oxenford
Bruce Oxenford played first-class cricket for Australia and made his umpiring debut in international cricket in 2006. He is among the most experienced umpires in the IPL and has been part of the league since 2012. Bruce has worked as an international umpire in more than 200 international matches (men’s and women’s). The ICC inducted him into the Elite Panel in 2012, and his first mega event was the 2015 ODI World Cup. Bruce has worked in 64 IPL games and is one of the highest-paid overseas umpires in the league.
4. KN Ananthapadmanabhan
KN Ananthapadmanabhan is a former Indian first-class cricketer who played for Kerala between 1988 and 2004. Born on September 8, 1969, Ananthapadmanabhan became an umpire after his retirement and made his first-class debut in 2008. He first umpired in women’s cricket in 2010 and made his first appearance in men’s cricket in 2021 after joining the ICC’s Elite Panel in August 2020. Ananthapadmanabhan has been an active umpire in the IPL since 2016 and has worked in 65 matches so far.
3. Chris Gaffaney
Chris Gaffaney was born in Dunedin, Otago, on November 30, 1975, and made his FC debut in the 1995–96 season. He played first-class cricket in New Zealand until 2007 and retired. After his retirement, he became an umpire and made his debut in 2010, and since then, he has been active. He entered the ICC’s elite list of umpires in 2015. His experience has been immense, and he is among the first-choice umpires in franchise leagues like the BPL, PSL, BBL, and IPL. So far, Gaffaney has worked in 77 IPL games and is the third-highest-paid umpire.
2. Nitin Menon
Born on November 2, 1983, Nitin Menon hails from Indore, Madhya Pradesh. He has played List A cricket for MP as a wicket-keeper batter but became umpire in 2004. It took him 13 years of hard work to affiliate as umpire in his first international game on January 26, 2017, which was the T20I game between India and England. He has been umpiring in the IPL since 2016, when he started as a departmental umpire and moved to elite grade. Overall, he has worked in 94 matches and is the second-highest-paid IPL umpire.
