In March 2019, BCCI had rewarded Kohli with the top most A+ category of the latest central contracts where a player gets a retainer of Rs 7 crore. Apart from Kohli, ODI vice-captain Rohit Sharma and pacer Jasprit Bumrah are the only three players in the A+ category.
However, England cricket team's deadly bowler Jofra Archer has surpassed Kohli in terms of salary following his Ashes 2019 heroics. The England Cricket Board (ECB) awarded Archer a lucrative central contract to become one of the highest-paid English cricketers. Just 140 days after his debut, Archer has been rewarded with a humongous salary of £1 million (8,81,16,647 INR) per year, by the ECB.
"Test specialists and those playing in all forms of the game will have their salaries paid in full by the ECB. From 1 February 2020, the start of the ECB 2020 Financial Year, those on White Ball contracts will move from receiving a supplement on top of their County salary, to having their salaries paid in full by the ECB as per Test contracted players.
"Under the structure, players in both formats receive a 'ranking' based on their performances on the pitch, as well as a number of other factors, including off-field contribution, fielding and fitness. Those rankings then correlate with the level of remuneration," a statement by Sussex Cricket read.