No other sport in India pays as much as cricket does, so it is hardly surprising that a large number of cricketers in the list of the world’s richest cricketers are Indians. Some of these Indian cricketers, in fact, are among the highest-paid athletes in the world. Not only do they receive a really good amount of money from their annual contract with the BCCI, but they earn even more from the IPL. The IPL is the best paid cricket league in the world. Check out a list of the top 10 richest cricketers in the world currently.
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Sachin Tendulkar
Although Sachin Tendulkar retired from international cricket nearly a decade ago, he still remains the richest cricketer in the world currently. Popularly called the God of Cricket, Tendulkar continues to remain the face of several brands. He was the first cricketer to have cracked a Rs 100 crore deal with MRF during his playing days. He also endorsed several other brands during his active years in international cricket, including Adidas, BMW and Pepsi. Tendulkar’s current net worth is $170 million.
MS Dhoni
The second-richest cricketer in the world is MS Dhoni, who has a net worth of $111 million. Dhoni, who retired from international cricket in 2020 but continues to play in the IPL, endorses a long list of brands including Gulf Oil India, RedBus, Bharat Matrimony and others. Dhoni reportedly charges a staggering Rs 1.4 crore for each sponsored post on Instagram.
From the IPL itself, Dhoni has earned a huge amount of money. For IPL 2023, he will earn Rs 12 crore. From 2008 to 2022, he earned a massive Rs 164 crore from the tournament which he has won four times.
Virat Kohli
Former India skipper Virat Kohli has a net worth of $92 million. He has earned over Rs 170 crore from the IPL from 2008 to 2023, and currently Kohli has a Grade A+ contract with the BCCI, from which he earns Rs 7 crore annually. Coming to his brand endorsements, Kohli endorses brands like Google, Audi, Manyavar, Puma and Myntra among others. Kohli was the world’s highest paid cricketer in 2022 when he earned a massive Rs 279 crore, including 253 crore from endorsements alone. He reportedly charges Rs 8.9 crore per Instagram post.
Ricky Ponting
With a net worth of $70 million, Ricky Ponting is the world’s fourth richest cricketer. One of the best cricketers and captains during his playing days, Ponting endorsed brands like Adidas, Kookaburra Bats, and Rexona. At present, he earns money from coaching the Delhi Capitals in the IPL. Ponting is the only player to win more than 100 Test matches, and he led Australia to two World Cups. In 2012, he announced retirement from international cricket.
Brian Lara
With a net worth of $60 million, Former West Indies captain Brian Lara is the fifth-richest cricketer in the world. One of the best batsmen of all time, Lara endorsed brands like MRF during the peak of his career. Lara played 131 Test matches, from which he scored 11953 runs at an average of 52.88. In the 50-over format, the southpaw scored 10405 runs at an average of over 40. He announced international retirement in 2007, and is currently employed in the IPL where he works as the coach of the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Shane Warne
Former Australian cricketer Shane Warner, who passed away last year, left behind a net worth of $50 million. Among the brands he endorsed were McDonald’s and Victoria Bitter, and he also earned an income from doing commentary after retirement. One of the best spin bowlers ever, Warne held a number of records to his name. He was the first to reach 600 and 700 Test wickets, took the third-most wickets in the Ashes and was the first IPL winning captain among many other feats. He passed away at the age of 52.
Jacques Kallis
One of the best all-rounders of all time, South Africa’s Jacques Kallis has a net worth of $48 million. He was reportedly the highest paid cricketer in South Africa until the peak of AB de Villiers’ career. Kallis is the only player to have scored 10,000 runs and taken 250 wickets in Tests and ODIs. He scored 13,289 runs in his Test career while also taking 292 wickets, in ODIs, he scored 11579 runs from 328 matches and also took 273 wickets. Kallis retired from all forms of international cricket on 30 July 2014.
Virender Sehwag
Another Indian on the list is Virender Sehwag with a net worth of $40 million. The explosive batsman achieved quite a few records during his playing days, which in turn earned him lucrative endorsement deals. Sehwag, who is the first Indian cricketer to score a triple century in a Test match, played 104 Tests, scoring 8586 runs at an average of almost 50. In ODIs, he averaged 35 while in his brief T20I career, he had a strike rate of over 145. In October 2015, Sehwag announced retirement from all formats of cricket.
Yuvraj Singh
With a net worth of $35 million, Yuvraj Singh is the ninth richest cricketer in the world. Singh, who was the player of the tournament in the ICC World Cup 2011, and also holds the record for hitting six sixes in an over, endorsed brands like Pepsi, Cadbury and Laureus among others. In 2015, the Delhi Daredevils, now called Delhi Capitals, bought Yuvraj for Rs 16 crore at the auction, making him the second most expensive player ever until Chris Morris was sold for Rs 16.25 crore to the Rajasthan Royals in 2021. In June 2019, Yuvraj announced his retirement from all forms of international cricket after playing his last international game in June 2017, against the West Indies.
Shane Watson
The tenth-richest cricketer in the world is former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, with a net worth of $30 million. During his playing days, he was associated with brands like TAG Heuer, Asics and American Express among others. Watson was part of Australia’s World Cup winning squad in 2003, 2007, and 2015 and was ranked as the world’s No. 1 all-rounder in T20Is for 150 weeks straight. He also played franchise cricket in various leagues including the IPL, where he was named the Player of the Tournament in 2008 and 2013. Watson retired from all forms of cricket in 2020.
