Modern cricket offers players opportunities to earn money through domestic T20 leagues and national contracts. So, who are the wealthiest cricketers globally?
The world’s richest cricketer: Who is he?
The richest cricketer in the world is Adam Gilchrist from Australia. He used to play cricket for his country. People say he has about $380 million USD. He got this money from playing cricket and also from endorsing brands and his job as a commentator and analyst.
A list of the top 10 richest cricketers in the world
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Gilchrist is the richest cricketer globally. But let’s understand this better. Gilchrist has more than $200 million extra money compared to the person in second place. Why does he have so much more money than others?
Gilchrist earned a lot from playing cricket and his job as a commentator. But the main reason he has so much money is because he’s also a business person. He started a big fitness network called F5, and that’s a big reason he has so much money. He played for two teams in the Indian Premier League – Kings XI Punjab and Deccan Chargers.
Sachin Tendulkar
Most other players on the list earned their money from playing cricket. Sachin Tendulkar is in second place, and he’s said to have about $170 million.
Sachin made money from playing cricket and also from coaching after he stopped playing. He got more money from working with big brands like Canon, Airtel, and ESPN Star Sports.
Virat Kohli
The most famous cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, has made a lot of his $127 million money from playing cricket. He was the captain of India’s team and also led the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.
Like other cricketers of his time, Kohli also does advertisements. He worked with Puma and Audi, and many people follow him on social media. This helps keep his brand image very strong.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
After he stopped playing for the national team, MS Dhoni from India has been investing in different businesses. This could make his money even more in the future, but right now he has about $113 million, which is still a lot.
Dhoni got this money while he was the captain of the Indian team and also for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. He led CSK to win many trophies, and that helped him earn even more money.
Sourav Ganguly
Another ex-Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly, made a lot of money while playing cricket. He joined the IPL a bit later, but he still played and earned good money. He was part of two teams in the IPL: Pune Warriors and Kolkata Knight Riders.
After he stopped playing, Ganguly started working behind the scenes in cricket and was the head of the BCCI until 2022. He also endorsed brands like Burnpur Cement, Classplus, and Essilor Lenses. When we put all of this together, he made a lot of money.
Ricky Ponting
Australia’s Ricky Ponting did a lot in cricket after he stopped playing. He’s often a coach and is seen in many IPL and other franchise cricket matches.
He also talks about cricket on TV in Australia, England, and other places. Besides his earnings from playing cricket, he also gets money from brands like Adidas and Kookaburra. All of this together makes his fortune about $70 million.
Jacques Kallis
Many people think he was the best all-rounder in cricket, so it’s not surprising that Jacques Kallis made about $70 million. He played cricket at the highest level even when he was in his late 30s, and he also played in well-paying franchise leagues.
Kallis also helps coach and does a lot of ads in his home country of South Africa. For many years, he was the face of Advanced Hair Studio there.
Brian Lara
He was the most successful West Indian cricketer in recent times and holds records for batting in both test and first-class cricket.When Brian Lara scored 501 for Warwickshire against Durham in 1994, they quickly made products related to it.
The same thing happened when he broke the test cricket record by scoring 400 not out for the West Indies against England in Antigua ten years later. Selling products related to these achievements helped him earn money, but that’s not all.
Even though he played in some franchise cricket, he didn’t benefit as much from this trend. His earnings from international cricket weren’t very high compared to today’s standards, so endorsements and product sales were important for him.
Like many other players of his time, Brian Lara also became a coach after he finished playing.
Shane Warne
Unfortunately, the great Shane Warne is no longer with us, but his earnings give us a good idea of how much cricketers can make.
There are clear reasons why Warne had around $50 million. After he stopped playing cricket, he became a coach and talked about the game on TV. Not everyone knows that the Australian leg spinner was also a professional poker player and once won more than $20,000 in a single game.
He also got money from endorsing brands. Like Jacques Kallis, Warne also worked with Advanced Hair Studio. He endorsed other things like Victoria Bitter, Dafabet, and Messages on Hold.
Chris Gayle
For a long time, Chris Gayle from the West Indies was the most wanted player for T20 cricket. He’s called the Universe Boss and has played in many T20 teams all over the world.
Most of his $45 million money came from the IPL, but he also got money from other T20 leagues. Being an international cricketer for a long time also helped him make good money. He endorsed many brands, like Spartan Sports, Attitude.com, and Agrani Homes.
Conclusion
Learning about the Top 10 Richest Cricketers in the World has been quite eye-opening. It shows us that cricket isn’t just about playing on the field – it’s also about building a brand, getting endorsements, and sometimes even trying new things like coaching or other businesses. These cricketers have found different ways to become really successful and make a lot of money. It’s interesting to see how much cricket has changed and how players can achieve financial success in many ways.