Virat Kohli: Forbes names India captain highest-paid cricketer

Indian right-handed batsman Virat Kohli is among the world’s highest-paid athletes, according to the annual Forbes list of the 100 best-paid sportsmen published today.

Ranked 83rd with earnings of USD 24 million, Kohli is the only cricketer on the list.

He is also the only Indian sportsperson to be featured by Forbes.

North American boxer Floyd Mayweather, aka ‘Money’, comes top with income of USD 285 million.

Kohli the sponsorship cricket master

According to Forbes, the Indian captain makes most of his money from sponsors like New Era, Tissot, Oakley, Uber, Puma, Audi and Pepsi.

Of his USD 24m earnings, 20m are estimated to be from endorsements, while the remaining 4m come from his salary.

On last year’s list, he was ranked 89th with estimated earnings of USD 22m.

Kohli is also one of the most popular athletes in the world, at least on social media, boasting more Twitter followers (over 25 million) than all but three active sports stars.