Virat Kohli’s name stands tall atop the list of the highest-paid cricketers and players from all over the world competing in different sports. The former Indian captain is the sole representative of his country in Forbes’ list of the wealthiest 100 athletes in 2020. He is currently ranked 66th with an astounding income of around 196 crores. Due to receiving an A+ contract from the BCCI, he has generated this enormous sum and makes seven crores every year.
Since the 2018 season, Kohli is the highest-paid IPL cricketer, as he earns 17 crores per year playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Aside from that, he has other brand endorsement deals as a result of his tremendous popularity and massive fan base among young people worldwide.
Despite the fact that many would presume he is the highest-paid cricketer owing to the absurd numbers, this is not the case. Yep, you heard correctly. At least five other cricketers earn greater pay than Kohli. While the Indian captain may earn more money because to the IPL and brand endorsements, few of his peers earn more money by playing cricket alone.
1. Joe Root
Test captain of England, Joe Root, ranks top on the list. Those who follow the England Cricket Board’s (ECB) domestic contract system are well-versed in the many salary-related contract arrangements they have in place. Although the ECB has stated that modifications would be made to the contract system, the current system will remain in place until the end of 2021.
This current contract scheme by the ECB prioritises Test cricket, and as captain of the England team, Joe Root earns a staggering £7,00,000 per year (approx. Rs. 7.22 crore) from the ECB, which is marginally more than the 7 crores Kohli receives. Root’s staggering statistics put him ahead of Kohli and make him the highest-paid Test captain across all teams.
Although Kohli earns more through brand sponsorships, Root is the highest-paid cricketer due to his generous compensation from the ECB.
2. Jofra Archer
The English fast bowler Jofrey Archer is ranked second on this list. In 2019-20, Archer had a breakthrough season for the squad, which cleared the door for his inclusion in all three game forms. For such a short space of time, the fast bowler has seen it everything. He was entrusted with the duty of bowling the Super Over skipper Eoin Morgan and he didn’t disappoint as he protected 15 runs and enabled victory for England in the 2019 ODI World Cup.
Apart from that, he excelled in the Ashes and bowled Steve Smith with one of the most hostile spells of fast bowling. Archer’s surge has also seen him earn the same amount as Root in the red-ball format. According to various claims, Archer gets an astonishing over £1 million (₹9.39 crore) a year. Archer’s numbers exceed Root’s because he participates in all three forms.
Root plays in ODIs and Tests, whereas Archer also participates in T20Is. The sprinter of West Indian descent is also ranked as the forty-first most marketable athlete in the world. Today, Archer draws 870000 Euros by playing both formats for England.
3. Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes, the legendary all-rounder for England, appears on this list. Similarly to Archer, he participates in all three forms and gets a staggering sum from the ECB. Since 2013, Stokes has been a regular for the Three Lions. Stokes completes the England team in every way, be it as the team’s pulse, an entertainer, or a match-winner.
ECB now pays Stokes £ 9,10,519 (about INR 8.75 crores). Because to his steady performance in all three formats of the game with England over the past three years, the all-salary rounder’s has increased by 40 percent. With the ECB implementing a new domestic system, Stokes’s compensation could possibly be boosted.
4. Steve Smith
Former Australian Test captain Steve Smith is ranked fourth. Cricket Australia (CA), like the ECB, places a higher priority on Test cricket and views it as the supreme format. Smith is the team’s top-ranked batter and current leader in run production. Now, Smith receives $4 million annually from California. He plays in all three formats and is Australia’s middle-order stalwart.
Smith, like Kohli, too benefits from endorsements and is the team’s most recognisable member. His reputation took a hit in 2018 due to the sandpaper incident, but he has now returned even stronger and has made his bat speak.
5. Jos Butter
Like Stokes and Archer, wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler participates in all three forms for England. For the previous two years, has also made a return to the Test squad. As a result, he is currently on the ECB’s Test and white-ball lists.
Now, he makes 19 crores per year from ECB. In addition, he earns a substantial amount of money through brand endorsements and IPL. Jos Buttler is also the team’s vice-captain for Test matches.
With three to four years left in his career, he could wind up earning far more than other renowned cricket players.
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