Forbes has declared Virat Kohli the highest-earning sportsperson in India.
The India captain, who enjoyed a brilliant year on the field, more than doubled his 2017 earnings of Rs 100.72 crore, banking a sizeable Rs 228.09 crore in 2018.
The 30-year-old has benefitted from multiple salary streams – his BCCI central contract and his IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore – and various commercial contracts. Off the pitch – his advertising deals in particular – have boomed over the past year.
[caption id=”attachment_90859″ align=”alignnone” width=”800″]
Virat Kohli celebrates his century during the first Test versus England at Edgbaston[/caption]
Kohli sits in second place on the list of celebrity high-earners, with Bollywood star Salman Khan topping the list.
[breakout id=”0″][/breakout]Following Kohli in India’s sports celebrity wealth rankings is former captain MS Dhoni, while Sachin Tendulkar continues to reside in the top three despite retiring five years ago.
Hard-hitting opener Rohit Sharma (Rs 31.49 crore) and all-rounder Hardik Pandya (Rs 28.46 crore) sit in 23rd and 27th place respectively.
[breakout id=”1″][/breakout]India international Manish Pandey (77th place: Rs 13.08 crore) and Jasprit Bumrah (60th; Rs 16.42 crore) sneaked into the overall celebrity list for the first time.
