Who is the Richest Cricketer in the World?

Cricket is the second most popular sport in the UK, right after football.

But, do popular cricket players make nearly as much money as well-known footballers, and who is the richest cricketer in the world?

In this article, we’ll look at the richest cricketer in the world and how much they’re worth.  

Top 10 Richest Cricketers in the World

Sachin Tendulkar

• Net worth: $170 Million
• Country: India
• Status: Retired; Coach
• Brand endorsements: More than a hundred global brands (Phillips, Britannia, VISA, BMW, Pepsi, and Luminous, among others).

Sachin Tendulkar is not only the world richest cricketer but is the most prolific run-maker of all time, the most complete batter of his time, and possibly the biggest cricket icon in the history of the sport. 

He is also a cricketer that has the biggest endorsement deals.

He holds the record for most hundreds in both ODIs and Tests, and he never seemed to disappoint his followers, who always had high expectations of him on the field.

Although he is retired, he didn’t entirely abandon his favourite sport. Tendulkar currently mentors the IPL team Mumbai Indians, and so far, he has helped them earn four championship victories.

MS Dhoni

• Net worth: $113 Milion
• Country: India
• Status: Plays in the IPL
• Brand endorsements: Gulf Oil, Boost, Reebok, Sony Bravia, Lays, Colgate, Orient, and more.

The former captain of the Indian national cricket team, MS Dhoni – also known as ‘Captain Cool’ – had one of the most successful runs as a cricket team captain in the world. 

The right-handed wicket-keeper batsman, who also captained Test cricket from 2008 to 2014, led the team to three ICC trophies and two ACC Asia Cup victories. 

Under his leadership, the team has also won two ICC Test Championship Mace trophies and the ICC ODI Shield.

Find out: How long is a cricket game exactly?

Virat Kohli

• Net worth: $112 Milion
• Country: India
• Status: Active (international)
• Brand endorsements: Colgate, Tissot, Too Yumm, Manyavar, Google, Pepsi, Audi, and more.

Virat Kohli is an international cricketer who’s widely considered to be one of the greatest all-format batsmen of his era and one of the most good-looking cricketers.

He had an impressive run as an Indian Test captain, with 40 wins and 68 matches, and was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2018 by Time magazine.

 Kohli also made the Forbes list of the 100 highest-paid athletes in the world in 2020. 

Ricky Ponting

• Net worth: $70 Milion
• Country: Australia
• Status: Retired
• Brand endorsements: Adidas, Kookaburra Bats, Pura Milk, and Rexona.

The retired Australian cricketer is the most successful captain in international cricket history and is widely regarded as the most uncompromising player of his generation.

Ponting, who retired from cricket in 2012, was a captain in Test cricket, One Day Internationals (ODIs) and the Australian national team during its ‘golden era’.

He has a winning rate of 67.91%, with 220 victories in 324 matches. 

Did you know? An estimated 294,000 adults in England play cricket every month.

Jacques Kallis

• Net worth: $70 Milion
• Country: South Africa
• Status: Retired; Coach
• Brand endorsements: Function Fusion Events & Décor, Bona Dea Private Estate, BuchuLife, Slazenger, AHS.

South Africa’s greatest right-handed batsman, who also played as a right-arm fast-medium swing bowler, is the only cricketer in the history of the sport to take over 250 wickets and score over 10,000 runs in both Test match and ODI.

Kallis, who boasted a rock-solid technique and a remarkable ability to ignore all distractions on the field, was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2020.

Brian Lara

• Net worth: $60 Million
• Country: Trinidad and Tobago
• Status: Retired; Coach
• Brand endorsements: Usha International Brand

Brian Lara, nicknamed ‘The Prince of Port of Spain’ or simply ‘The Prince’, is a legend in the world of cricket. 

He holds several records, including the record for the highest individual score in first-class cricket, which is also the only quintuple-hundred in the history of first-class cricket.

Lara also holds the record for the highest individual score in a Test inning after scoring 400 not out. 

Shane Warne

• Net worth: $50 Milion
• Country: Australia
• Status: Deceased
• Brand endorsements: Victoria Bitter, Advanced Hair Studio, Massages on Hold, and Dafabet.

Warne, who died earlier in March 2022, is considered to have been one of the sport’s greatest-ever bowlers in cricket history. 

He is best known for revolutionising the leg-spinning bowling technique and for setting a record for the most wickets taken by any bowler in Test cricket, which Muttiah Muralitharan later broke. 

After retirement, Warne worked for several charity organisations and as a cricket commentator. 

You may be interested in The greatest fast bowlers of all time.

Virender Sehwag

• Net worth: $40 Milion
• Country: India
• Status: Retired (from international cricket)
• Brand endorsements: Adidas, Boost, Samsung Mobiles, Reebok, Hero Honda, Zandu Balm, Nirala Group, Rasna, Royal Challenge, JK Cements, ICICI bank, Xiaomi India.

Virender Sehwag, who retired from the sport in 2015, has had an extraordinary cricket career.

With a relentless quest for boundary hitting, he has broken several records, including the highest score ever made by an Indian in Test cricket. But, the most remarkable aspect of his career is his ability to build massive scores at incredible speed. 

Sehwag holds the fastest triple century in international cricket history and is one of four batsmen in the world to have surpassed 300 twice in Test cricket.

Yuvraj Singh

• Net worth: $35 Milion
• Country: India
• Status: Retired (from international cricket) 
• Brand endorsements: Howzat, Pepsi, Puma, Whirlpool, Revital, WellVersed, Aakash Institute, Cadbury, Birla Sun Life Insurance, Lays.

During his time on the field, Yuvraj Singh played in all formats of the game and was known for his aggressive style.

His left-arm spin and overall athleticism made him a key one-day player, especially after he famously hit six sixes in one over bowled by Stuart Broad, which has never been achieved in international cricket. 

Singh was so popular that he even picked up contracts worth over a million dollars, even as his form declined after battling a rare form of cancer. He officially retired in 2019.

Shane Watson

• Net worth: $30 Milion
• Country: Australia
• Status: Retired
• Brand endorsements: Sea World Australia, Golden Circle, American ExpressFight MND (Motor Neuron Disease), ASICS Australia, BEON Performance, Gunn & Moore, Asics, TAG Heuer, Gozney.

Despite being a promising athletic figure, Shane Watson had to come back from different forms of injuries to prove himself in the cricket world. The right-arm bowler and batter suffered a hamstring strain, calf problems, and back stress fractures, among other things, which he overcame to make reserve himself a spot on the field. 

He was an occasional captain in all formats and holds several records T20Is, ODIs, and T20s. Forbes said he was the world’ss richest non-Indian cricket player between 2011 and 2015.

Related: Biggest sports broadcasting contracts

Bottom Line

Cricket can be a lucrative sport, given its popularity in the UK, India, and the rest of the world.

Although the richest cricketers in the world cannot compete with the wealthiest footballers, their worth is in the millions, and they are some of the richest people on a global scale.