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The Indian Premier League remains the richest T20 league in the world, and the prizes on offer this season have once again attracted attention. As Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT) prepare for the IPL 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31, the huge prize money and player earnings have become a big talking point.
From the top teams earning crores to the players receiving match fees and bonus payments, IPL 2026 promises massive financial rewards for everyone involved. The BCCI had set the auction amount for each franchise at ₹125 crore even before the season.
However, the total salary structure is much larger, as the growth over the years has been significant. The total salary cap in 2026 has now reached ₹151 crore. The biggest prize is reserved for the IPL champion. Overall, the top four teams will share prize money of ₹46.5 crore.
Earnings of top-4 teams in IPL 2026
The winner of the IPL 2026 final between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans will receive a prize money of ₹20 crore after lifting the cup in Ahmedabad on Sunday. The runner-up will also get a big prize of ₹13 crore for finishing second.
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Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals (RR) who lost to Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 2 and finished third will take home ₹7 crore, while Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), who lost the eliminator and finished fourth, will take home ₹6.5 crore as prize money.
Interestingly, franchises cannot keep the entire prize money. Under IPL rules, at least 50 percent of the team’s winnings should be distributed among the players. This means that players get 50% of this prize money in addition to their regular contracts while teams take the rest.
How much will players earn?
Each player is guaranteed his full auction salary, whether he plays every game or spends the entire IPL 2026 season on the bench. As long as he remains with the team during the entire tournament, he receives the full contract amount from his respective teams.
Apart from their main deals with the franchises, they will also earn match fees. As announced by the BCCI, each player named in the playing eleven, including the impact players, now earns ₹7.5 lakh per match in addition to their contract amount.
This means that if a player plays all 14 league matches, he can earn an additional ₹1.05 crore through match fees alone. If his team reaches the finals and plays 17 matches, this amount can increase to around ₹1.27 crore. As a result, even a player bought at a minimum base price of ₹30 lakh can earn more than ₹1.35 crore during the season.
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Special awards for best performers
Apart from the team awards, individual performers will also receive special cash awards. The Orange Cap winner, Purple Cap winner and Most Valuable Player get around ₹10 lakh each. It is being said that around Rs 1 crore will be distributed among other special prizes of IPL.
Orange Cap (most runs): ₹10 lakh
Purple Cap (most wickets): ₹10 lakh
Most Valuable Player (MVP): ₹10 lakh
Emerging Players of the Season: ₹20 lakh