Cricket is the biggest sport in India with even mediocre or non-regular cricketers earning multi-folds compared to top players in most other sports in the country. The IPL has further made cricket a lucrative career option for youngsters to pick up this particular sport.
The BCCI pays their centrally-contracted players heavily to compensate for them to not get attracted toward playing in other T20 leagues in the world apart from the IPL. The BCCI is, without a doubt, the richest cricket board in the world, drawing an insane amount of television and digital rights from broadcasters.
Top Indian cricketers have always had a huge fan following in the country, and across the globe. It is no surprise that some of the Indian cricketers stand amongst the richest cricketers in the world. Apart from their BCCI and IPL salaries, these players also make handsome amounts from brand endorsements.
Not MS Dhoni, but Virat Kohli is the highest-salaried cricketer ever
Former India captain Virat Kohli is the highest-salaried cricketer ever. He is in the Grade A+ BCCI contract category and during the 2018-2022 IPL cycle, Kohli was given a salary of INR 17 crore per season by RCB. He’s also the most expensive Indian athlete for brands and charges a huge amount of money for each social media post or advertisement, which is much more than compared to the likes of MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma, or even some of the Bollywood superstars.
Virat Kohli draws a monthly salary of USD 690,000, which translates to over INR 5.5 crore!
He is currently the highest-earning cricketer in the world and Virat Kohli has a net worth of INR 1050 crore!
According to GQ Australia, Virat Kohli’s monthly income through all forms of cricket, including IPL, and brand deals is nearly INR 6 crore. He also picks up bonus cheques for his milestone and match-winning performances and other match-based bonuses.
MS Dhoni’s income comes from his IPL salary and brand endorsements and he remains one of the most followed cricketer in the country despite retiring from international cricket four years ago.
