May 04, 2008	Sunday	Rabi-us-Sani 27, 1429

MELBOURNE, May 3: Speedster Brett Lee returned home as the richest Australian cricketer, taking home a whopping $80,000 per scalp for his four wickets from as many games in the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL).

Lee was bought for $900,000 at the auction and earned more than $320,000 for his brief stint with Punjab side.

Captain Ricky Ponting, who went for a modest $400,000 to Kolkata Knight Riders at the February auction, emerged as the highest-paid Australian batsman when the earnings are worked out on a rupees-per-runs-scored basis.

Ponting earned $3663 for every run, or $142,000 for four games he played.

Lee and Ponting were among the six players, who return to Australia to prepare for the tour of West Indies where they will earn almost $13,000 a Test and $5000 a One-day International.

Andrew Symonds was the next in line as his purse was heavier by $500,000 after playing just four games for Hyderabad’s Deccan Chargers.

Symonds pocketed $3000 for each of his 161 runs.

Each player is understood to have been paid on a pro rata basis for the games played and received 10 percent of that amount for each game they did not play.

Matthew Hayden ($134,000) and Michael Hussey ($125,000) bring home more for two weeks work than most of the Australians get for two years. Simon Katich got only $200,000 at the auction and earned just under $60,000. He only played two matches.—Agencies