How Much Salary Does India’s Coach Gambhir Receive, and What Other Benefits Does He Get?
On July 9 last year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) appointed Gautam Gambhir as the head coach of the Indian cricket team. His contract with the board extends until December 2027. As Rohit and Kohli’s coach, Gambhir has had both successes and failures.
However, India’s recent Champions Trophy victory has largely overshadowed his setbacks. Winning a global title within just eight months of taking charge is no small feat!
The 43-year-old Gambhir won the 2007 T20 World Cup and the 2011 ODI World Cup as a player. Now, as a coach, he has won the Champions Trophy. Very few people have achieved the feat of winning global trophies both as a player and a coach. After leading India to another triumph, Gambhir is once again a hot topic in cricket circles—especially regarding his salary and the perks he receives from BCCI.
India’s business website Ascendants attempted to satisfy cricket fans’ curiosity by reporting that Gambhir’s estimated annual salary exceeds ₹14 crore, making him one of the highest-paid coaches in the world. Before him, Rahul Dravid was India’s head coach, earning ₹12 crore per year.
In addition to his hefty salary, Gambhir receives a daily allowance of ₹21,000 during foreign tours. BCCI also covers his business-class airfare, luxury hotel accommodations, and laundry expenses, along with other logistical benefits.
These perks are part of BCCI’s strategy to attract and retain top coaching talent. The board believes that providing such facilities to Gambhir and his assistants allows them to focus entirely on improving the team’s performance.
Multiple sources informed Ascendants that Gambhir’s contract includes performance-based bonuses. These bonuses are tied to India’s success in major tournaments like the 2025 Champions Trophy, the 2026 T20 World Cup, and the 2027 ODI World Cup.
If India wins any of these tournaments under his leadership, he will receive a substantial bonus. Since India has already won the Champions Trophy, BCCI is expected to announce bonuses for Gambhir and his support staff soon.
Cricket analysts have praised Gambhir’s strategic acumen, particularly his ability to nurture young talent and manage players’ nerves in high-pressure matches. The Champions Trophy is a prime example of this. India played all its matches in Dubai, mostly on used pitches.
Before the tournament, the International League T20 had been played in Dubai, which made Gambhir anticipate that the pitches would slow down and assist spinners as the tournament progressed.
As a result, he dropped batter Yashasvi Jaiswal from the preliminary squad and included mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy in the final team. Varun turned out to be a trump card for Gambhir in the latter stages of the tournament, playing a crucial role in India’s title win.
For the next two months, Indian players will be busy with the IPL. After that, Gambhir’s next big assignment is the England tour, where India will play five Test matches between June and August. Before the senior team’s tour, the India ‘A’ team will also travel to England.
According to a Times of India report, Gambhir will accompany the ‘A’ team to England to help build a strong reserve bench for the national team. This kind of planning has rarely been seen from an Indian coach in the past.
