IPL 2025: For Virat Kohli, both IPL 2025’s debut and anger were bang. He scored a half -century against Kolkata Knight Riders in the first match. At the same time, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) played an important role in winning their first IPL title by scoring 43 runs in the last match. RCB won the IPL Trophy for the first time by defeating Punjab Kings by 6 runs in the match played on Tuesday (June 3).
Along with RCB, Virat Kohli, who is associated with the first season, is counted among the most talked about and successful players in IPL history. In such a situation, it is interesting to know how much salary they are getting this season and how heavy their tax bill is on it.
How many salary are you getting this year?
According to reports, Virat Kohli is getting a salary of ₹ 21 crore in IPL 2025. This is 40% higher than last year. It is worth noting that Virat was never launched in IPL auction. He is a retained player directly by RCB.
How did Virat’s salary increase since 2008?
- In the first three seasons (2008-2010), Virat Kohli’s salary was just ₹ 12 lakh. It increased to ₹ 8.28 crore in 2011-2013. From 2014 to 2017, he earned ₹ 12.5 crore annually. It increased to ₹ 17 crore from 2018 to 2021. However, in 2022-2024, the salary was reduced to ₹ 15 crore. But again in 2025, it jumped and it reached ₹ 21 crore.
Overall, Kohli has so far earned ₹ 179.70 crore from the IPL.
The most expensive player in RCB
Virat Kohli is currently the highest payment player of RCB. The second number is Josh Hazlewood who has received ₹ 12.50 crore, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar is getting ₹ 10.75 crore. At the same time, some young players in the team have been signed at a base salary of only ₹ 30 lakh.
How will it be taxed on Kohli’s IPL salary?
Virat Kohli is not a regular employee of RCB, rather he is paid ‘contract fees’. For this reason, his income is considered ‘income from business or profession’ and is taxable under Section 28 of the Income Tax Act.
How much tax will be paid?
- Base Tax: 30% tax on ₹ 21 crore = ₹ 6.3 crore
- Surprise (Super Rich Tax): 25% at ₹ 6.3 crore = ₹ 1.575 crore
- Cess: ₹ 6.3 crore + ₹ 1.575 crore 4% = ₹ 0.315 crore
- Total Tax Liability: ₹ 8.19 Crore
According to this, Virat Kohli will have to pay ₹ 8.19 crore tax at a salary of ₹ 21 crore, after which he will save the net ₹ 12.81 crore.
Can Virat save tax?
The answer is, yes. If Kohli shows his professional income expenses like agents fees, fitness training, travel, brand management, etc., then they can be reduced by taxable income under Section 37 (1). However, separate tax will be applicable to their brand endorsement and investment income.
Also read: RCB vs pbks final ipl match live score: RCB became IPL 2025 champion, Punjab’s broken dream
