These are the richest cricketers in the world when it comes to net worth

In cricket, Indian players are dominating the purses when it comes to net worth, highlighting the economic clout of the game in the country.

Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni file photo, Image credit: Facebook
By Siddharth vishwanathan | Mar 15, 2021 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is one of the richest boards in the world. Its estimated net worth is Rs 14,680 crore which makes it one of the top boards in the cricketing world. With the BCCI being so rich, it is only obvious that Indian cricketers will be the richest sporting personalities to emerge from the country. In addition to BCCI and IPL contracts which are worth crores, players from India also endorse many brands which are elite and cater to a large section of the population. The growth of India is reflected in cricket and the brand value of players.

The fact that Indian cricket had started endorsing brands is a far cry in the period of the 70s and the 80s when Indian cricketers would endorse very limited brands on TV or Print. The likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri and others would be visible on TV or newspaper advertisements very rarely. With the opening of the Indian economy, Indian cricketers found a direct connection with audiences through brand endorsements

From Pepsi to Vicks to many car brands and online brands, Indian cricketers nowadays are present on cyberspace, print and also on television most of the times. Here are some of the richest cricketers according to their net worth.

Tendulkar, Kohli and Dhoni dominate

Sachin Tendulkar is the established gold standard of Indian cricket. His exploits with the bat put the country on the cricketing map. In his 24-year career, Tendulkar holds the record for most international centuries, the most runs in ODIs and Tests. Thus, Tendulkar was the true brand icon when many Indians were growing up in the modern era. For all his exploits, Tendulkar’s net worth is worth Rs 868 crores. Despite retiring in 2013, Tendulkar still commands tremendous respect.

In the current era, the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have surpassed Tendulkar. These cricketers endorse plenty of products and their exploits in international cricket and IPL make them the ultimate fan favourite.

Kohli is the modern great of cricket and is on track to break several records held by Tendulkar. His net worth is Rs 900 crore, which comfortably surpasses Tendulkar. Dhoni, who is the greatest captain ever, has a net worth of Rs 837 crores. Rohit is far behind all of these greats with a net worth of Rs 175 crore. But there is no denying his greatness in limited-overs cricket. Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh, two of India’s best match-winners, have a net worth of Rs 301 crore and Rs 260 crore respectively.

World domination in cricket

When one looks at cricketers outside of India, then Australia dominates. Ricky Ponting is the highest-earning international star with Rs 490 crore. Australia’s Shane Warne and Steve Smith also having their net worth in big bucks. Warne’s net worth is Rs 390 crore while Smith has a net worth of Rs 234 crore. Smith is one of the best batsmen in the world when it comes to Tests currently.

West Indies legend Brian Lara, who has scored 375 and 400 in Tests, has a net worth of Rs 452. South Africa legend Jacques Kallis has a worth of Rs 263 crore. Kallis is the only player to score more than 10000 Test runs and take close to 300 wickets.