A Look at Some of the Richest Cricket Players

A look at the highest earners active in cricket today.

To those who aren’t familiar to the sport, cricket is popular throughout much of the world. Known for its complexities and length of play, cricket may seem at first glance exotic. Today, cricket is considered a major sport in world. Its increased popularity might be due to introduction of Twenty20 cricket. The Twenty-20 or “T20” is a short form of cricket established by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003.

• Yograj Singh was most expensive player in the IPL three times.
• Chris Gayle was one of four players to score two triple centuries at Test level play
• MS Dhoni earns USD 23 million a year in endorsments

T20 has brought a shorter and more exciting game to cricket. As a result more fans are drawn to this faster paced game and matches have received more television airplay. In the past five to seven years, more money has come into the sport. Leagues such as the Indian Premier League have been able to draw the best talent to their teams. Cricket’s popularity in India far exceeds it Indian casinos. Let’s look at some of the richest cricket players according to Forbes magazine.

Singh, Ganguly and those who made under USD 40 million

Yuvraj Singh, an all-rounder, bats left-handed in the middle order. The bowling style is left-arm orthodox. The Indian International cricketer is the son of the Punjabi actor Yograj Singh who also was a fast bowler. With a net worth of USD 25 million, Singh broke the record for becoming the most expensive player in the Indian Premier league three times. Singh was award player of the tournament in the 2011 world cup.

Chris Gayle is a cricket player from Jamaica who earns USD 7.5 million yearly. Playing International Cricket for the West Indies, Gayle also plays for Jamaica and the Royal Challengers Bangalore team in the IPL. This big hitter was one of four players to score two triple centuries at Test level play against South Africa (317) and Sri Lanka (333). Known in UK gambling news, his popularity has earned him USD 3 million in endorsements.

Ricky Ponting was formally the captain of the Australian National Cricket team during the height of its popularity from 2004-2011 in Test cricket and from 2002-2011 in One Day International Cricket. Originally from Australia, Ponting, nicknamed “Punter” won the cricket world cup twice. Punter’s net worth is estimated to be about USD 30 million. Although he is retired, Ponting is currently a coach and mentor with several Indian Premier League teams.

Sourav Ganguly played alongside legends such as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Doni. He currently ranks as the fifth highest run scorer in One Day Internationals and the third person to exceed 10,000 runs. The batsman, known as “Dada”, is more renowned for his success as captain of the Indian National Team. Dada is currently the Joint Secretary of Cricket Association of Bengal and President of the Editorial board with Wisden India. Ganguly is also a commentator and mentor for an IPL team.

Sehway, Gambhir and two legends make up the final four

Virendar Sehwag is a member of the Indian National team. The aggressive batsman, who constantly makes gambling news, plays with a right hand and is in the opening position. Sehwag’s debut in One Day Internationals was in 1999 and two years later he joined the national team. Having received the Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World and Test Player of the Year awards, Sehwag is quite popular and was able to sign larger endorsement deals which led to his USD 40 million net worth.

Gautam Gambhir, captain of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL, plays domestic cricket for Dehli. The left-handed opening batsman is the only Indian and one of four International players to have scored 500 consecutive Test matches. Gambhir is currently the highest run scorer for India in Twenty20 Internationals. His team, the Kolkata Knight Riders, won Indian Premier League titles in 2012 and 2014.

MS Dhoni could easily be considered the “Michael Jordan” of cricket players primarily for his lucrative endorsements with Reebok, PepsiCo and Sony which earn him, along with domestic endorsements USD 23 million yearly. Dhoni, captain of the Indian National Team, is the only cricket player to enter the top 10 highest paid athlete list. Having one of the highest paid contracts in IPL, Dhoni’s yearly income is USD 29 million. His fortune is estimated to be USD 85 million.

Constantly making Indian gambling news, Sachin Tendulkar is considered by many as the greatest batsman of all time and one of the greatest cricket players ever. Endorsement deals with Adidas, Coca-Cola and Castrol have made Tendulkar one of the most marketable figures in cricket. Tendulkar is the only player to have scored one hundred international centuries and complete over 30,000 runs in international cricket. With a fortune of USD 115 million, Tendulkar is the richest cricket player in the sports history.