Sports is great opportunity for young talents all across the world to showcase their ability and make a name for the themselves. The sports industry has been booming for the past couple of years but due to the covid-19 pandemic, the sports world has suffered financially.
Here is a list of top 10 Highest Paid Indian athletes in 2021.
1) Virat Kohli (Cricket)
Team India’s red ball skipper Virat Kohli stands tall at the top of this list. The 33-year-old is paid around INR 228 crores annually. His estimated net worth is around INR 638 crores. The run machine plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. Kohli has been retained for INR 15 crore for the upcoming edition of the cash rich league.
2) Mahendra Singh Dhoni (Cricket)
Former Indian cricketer MS Dhoni is regarded as one of the best captain’s team India have ever got. Dhoni took the Indian team to new heights. He was the captain of the team in between 2007-16. During this time, he won the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, 2011 ICC ODI World Cup and the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy. Currently he plays for CSK in the IPL. Dhoni earns about INR 101.77 crore annually. His net worth is estimated to be around INR 826 crore.
He was retained by CSK for the 2022 edition of IPL for INR 12 crore.
3) Sachin Tendulkar (Cricket)
Legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar was the first Indian competitor to sign a business bargain worth INR 100 crore with MRF (Madras Elastic Production line) in 2001. Tendulkar is paid around INR 80 crore currently.
Including all his assets, his net worth is estimated to be around $120 million – $150 million.
4) Rohit Sharma (Cricket)
Team India’s full time white ball skipper Rohit Sharma earns about INR 54.29 crore annually. He receives INR 7 crore per annum for his A+ BCCI contract. He gets INR 15 crore from MI in the IPL.
Rohit Sharma has been retained for INR 16 crore for the 2022 edition of IPL.
5) Hardik Pandya (Cricket)
All rounder Hardik Pandya who is currently suffering from an injury earns about INR 28.46 crores annually. His net worth is estimated to be around INR 37 crore. He earns most of it from match fees and commercial deals.
It did not take the Baroda based cricketer to reach at this spot having made his debut in 2016.
6) Sania Mirza (Tennis)
Indian tennis player Sania Mirza stands at the top of the list of the highest paid tennis player in the country. The Hyderabad born athlete was once the world’s number one ranked player in doubles. She was won six grand slams in her career.
Sania Mirza owns a Black plated BMW X3 and her net worth is estimated to be around INR 170 crore.
7) Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Cricket)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar was picked up for the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy after his wonderful performance in the series against Australia in the same year. The 31-year-old fast bowler earns INR 17.26 crore annually. His net worth is estimated to be around INR 65 crore.
8) Jasprit Bumrah (Cricket)
As per the reports from BCCI, Jasprit Bumrah earns INR 7 crore yearly. He is being paid INR 4 lakhs for each ODI match, INR 4 lakh for each T20 match, and INR 15 lakhs for a Test match.
Initially, he was brought by MI for INR 40 lakhs only. Bumrah has been retained by MI for INR 12 crores for the upcoming season.
His net worth is estimated to be around INR 30 crores.
9) Saina Nehwal (Badminton)
The Haryana born athlete is India’s most popular badminton player. The 30-year-old has won a total of 24 titles globally including 11 super-series titles.
She is paid around INR 2.1 crore annually. Her net worth is estimated to be around INR 28.40 crore. Recently she signed an INR 40 crore deal with a firm named Rhiti Sports.
10) PV Sindhu (Badminton)
Another star badminton player to make it to the list is the Hyderabad based athlete PV Sindhu. PV Sindhu has endorsement agreements with a lot of famous brands which comprises of Moov, Gatorade, Myntra, Flipkart, Nokia and Panasonic, JBL, Bridgestone Tyres. Her net worth is estimated to be around $10 Million.
During the pandemic, she donated INR 5 lakhs to the Chief Minister’s relief fund in states like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.