New Delhi: Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been leading the Indian team, across all formats for quite some time now. In fact, the the Jharkhand-lad is arguably the most successful Indian skipper of all time as well.

But, former Indian skippers, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri earn more than Dhoni as the paid-retainers from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the autonomous body which runs cricket in the country. At least, the report in a leading English daily suggested the same.

The report says: With added bonus of about Rs 2 crore for their new roles — Shastri as Director Cricket and Gavaskar as head of IPL operations — the two will be getting around Rs 6 crore each annually. The two already had a Rs 4 crore per year contract as BCCI-endorsed commentators, which means they are on air for all of India’s international matches.

The report further stated: In contrast, Dhoni, in the last 12 months, has got Rs 2.59 crore for playing 35 international matches for India across all formats. That includes match fees as well as his Rs 1 crore retainer fee.

Interestingly, even after not being among the highest-paid retainers of the BCCI, Dhoni holds the fifth spot in the Forbes list of most valuable athlete brands.