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Cricket is one of the most popular sports globally, and cricketers from across the world earn huge sums of money through various contracts and deals, whether related to cricket or not linked with the fascinating game.
Although the primary source of income of cricketers is the game itself but if they are vastly popular, they also earn by various commercials, investing in other sports or some businesses. Ultimately, one has to be a top-class performer throughout the cricketing career in order to build such an image that can bring major deals even after retirement.
At present, many cricketers get heavy deals in tournaments such as the Indian Premier League (IPL). On that note, let’s have a look at the five wealthiest cricketers in the world in 2021:
5.) Brian Lara – 454 crores
Former West Indies skipper Brian Lara is the legend of the game as he completely dominated the proceedings during his playing days. He is considered as one of the finest batsmen the cricketing world has ever seen.
Lara’s swag in the batting reminded many of the legendary Caribbean stroke maker Sir Vivian Richards. His high raised bat, bent front knee and outstanding hand-eye coordination made him the most dangerous batter for bowlers across the globe.
Lara was a brand ambassador for many leading brands. Even after retirement, he is busy in the broadcasting industry, and fans regularly spot him covering bilateral series and competitions like IPL as well. The Trinidadian cricketer has a current net worth of whopping INR 454 Crores.
4.) Ricky Ponting – 492 crores
Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting played in the golden era of Australian cricket and led the team in many memorable victories across the formats. Many superstars debuted under his leadership, and some of them even became the captain of Australia after Ponting bid farewell to international cricket.
Ponting was a spectacular batsman in his playing days as he used to take the game away from opposing teams with his sheer consistency and ability to notch up big totals. He belongs to the elite club of cricketers who have scored more than 10,000 runs in both Tests and ODI formats.
After retirement, Ponting worked with the Australian national team as an assistant coach. He has also coached Mumbai Indians (MI) – the most successful IPL franchise and currently the head coach of Delhi Capitals (DC). Ponting’s net worth is estimated to be around INR 492 crores.
3.) Virat Kohli – 696 crores
The stature of Virat Kohli can be understood with the fact that he is the only active cricketer on this list. Kohli is the megastar of modern-day cricket whose brand value only seems to be increasing day by day.
The Delhi-lad earns a heavy amount for endorsing top brands such as Audi, MRF, Puma, Colgate-Palmolive, etc. Kohli has his own clothing line named WROGN, which is quite popular among youth.
Apart from all this, the Indian skipper is the co-owner of the Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Goa and International Premier Tennis League franchise UAE Royals. The Indian superstar has a net worth of INR 696 crores.
2.) MS Dhoni – 840 crores
Former Indian skipper MS Dhoni is widely known as one of the most successful captains in the globe. From T20 World Cup, 50-over World Cup to Champions Trophy, Team India won all the ICC trophies under his captaincy.
Dhoni, who was considered as the most effective finishers in the white-ball format, has over 10,000 runs in ODI cricket. With 829 dismissals (634 catches, 195 stumpings), the Ranchi-born superstar is third on the list of wicketkeepers with the most dismissals in the international arena.
Like the game, Dhoni dominated the brand industry as well. He had his endorsement deals with big names like Reebok, Red Bus, Sony Bravia, TVS Motors, Lays, Snickers, GoDaddy, Orient, Gulf Oil, and many more.
Outside cricket, MSD is the co-owner of Ranchi Rays – a franchise of the Hockey India League. He is also a co-owner of ISL’s Chennaiyin FC along with Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan. The ex-India skipper also has a lifestyle brand, SEVEN. The lieutenant colonel in the Indian Territorial Army has a net worth of around INR 840 Crore.
1.) Sachin Tendulkar – 870 crores
Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar is the most prolific, celebrated and worshipped cricketer in the world. When the Mumbaikar decided to retire, he was the leading run-scorer in Tests and the ODIs. Tendulkar also finished as the highest century scorer in international cricket.
Back in the ’90s, Tendulkar struck a never-heard-before Rs 100-crore deal with Mark Mascarenhas’s sports management. Since then, the ‘Master Blaster’ has been associated with global brands like MRF, Phillips, Britannia, VISA, BMW, Pepsi, Luminous, Adidas, etc.
Apart from cricket, Tendulkar is the co-owner of Kerala Blasters FC of ISL and Bengaluru Blasters of Premier Badminton League. His net worth stands to be massive INR 870 Crores.
