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5 Indian Cricketers whose brand earnings exceed their BCCI contract wages

Archie Blade
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5 Indian Cricketers whose brand earnings exceed their BCCI contract wages

5 Indian Cricketers whose brand earnings exceed their BCCI contract wages. In some cases, dwarfing their contracted pay by huge margins.

There used to be a time when cricket was just another sport in the country. The players received enough to sustain a livelihood. However, winning the World Cup in 1983 changed everything. The players were not just players anymore. They became sporting icons. A situation that magnified during the Golden Era of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid.

Also read: Navdeep Saini sanctioned for breaching ICC code of conduct

Ever since, the players were elevated to demi-god status. Companies around the world and the nation began taking notice of the trend and pumped huge money into the game through sponsorships and advertisements, greatly increasing the earnings of the players. In some cases, towering their centrally contracted pay. Here are 5 Indian cricketers whose brand earnings exceed their BCCI contract wages.

Shikhar Dhawan

5 Indian Cricketers whose brand earnings exceed their BCCI contract wages
 (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

The Dynamic Southpaw started his career in 2010. However, with Sachin, Sehwag and Gambhir dominating the openers spot, it was impossible for Dhawan to break through into the side. The left-hander would have to wait for another three years before he could solidify his place in the side. And that he did in style by hitting the fast Test century by any batsmen on debut.

A brilliant showing in the IPL a few months later, earned him a place in the Champions trophy squad. Dhawan slammed the highest runs in the tournament to seal a permanent spot in the squad and began his love story with ICC events.

Dhawan endorses products of GS Caltex, boAt and Alcis Sports among many others. In all, the Delhi dasher pockets 5.2 crores from sponsorships which is more than his annual contracted wage of 5 crores.

Rohit Sharma

5 Indian Cricketers whose brand earnings exceed their BCCI contract wages
 (Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

Shikhar Dhawan’s opening partner in One Day Internationals follows him in this list. The hitman made his debut 12 years back in the summer of 2007. He entered the cricketing arena with a lot of promise and was even compared to Sachin Tendulkar. However, Sharma’s habit of throwing away his wicket just when he looked good meant that people started asking for his head.

However, his talent was undeniable and the team management understood it. Which us why they persisted with him despite his horrible run of form. In 2013, MS Dhoni, promoted him to open the innings with Shikhar Dhawan and together they have since formed a deadly combo at the top, capable of winning matches all on their own.

Rohit is different then most batsmen in the sense that his strokeplay can match that of any technical genius while maintaining a strike rate in comparison with the most destructive batsmen of any era. His three double-hundred’s in ODI’s are testament to that fact.

Rohit Sharma earns a whopping 7 crores by BCCI through his A+ contract. However, his earnings through endorsements come to 7.2 crores. He has signed agreements with global brands like Adidas, Hublot, and Aristocrat Bags among many.

Hardik Pandya

5 Indian Cricketers whose brand earnings exceed their BCCI contract wages
 (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

The mercurial all-rounder made his debut as a 22-year old in 2016. He has since developed into one of the finest fast bowling all-rounders in the country and has even drawn comparisons with the legendary Kapil Dev. Pandya has become an integral component in the side and gives captain Kohli the freedom to pick an extra bowler or a batsman, a luxury they haven’t had for years.

Pandya has had many individual moments of brilliance besides carrying himself with flair, a trait that has made him popular among the young Indian population. Brands have signed him to capitalize on his popularity and the all-rounder fetches 14 crores from Advertisements alone. More than quadruple of his contracted pay of 3 crores.

MS Dhoni

(Photo by Nathan Stirk/Getty Images)

14 crores is a lot of money but we are now going to enter the realm of serious big bucks. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a cricketer from Ranchi, took the cricketing world by storm when he led an inexperienced Indian side to victory at the first ever World T20. He was soon handed the reins of the Indian side and became very popular for his brave yet calm captaincy and his Midas touch. More glory was to follow as he won the 2011 cricket World Cup and ICC Champions Trophy to win every ICC championship available to him.

Dhoni became a brand in himself as companies around the world lined up for his signatures. He became the first cricketer to be ranked under 25 in the Forbes list of highest paid athletes in 2014. He endorses Reebok, Pepsico, and Spartan Sports among other names and earns around 120 crores from his brand endorsements! His annual contract wage of 5 crores severely pale in comparison.

Virat Kohli

(Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Virat Kohli did not have the debut of Shikhar Dhawan or the early talent of Rohit Sharma. He does not have the flair of Hardik Pandya or the Midas touch of MS Dhoni. However, he has a lot of passion and will. One that has taken him to the top of the cricketing world, where he is heralded by many as the best Modern era batsman.

Despite achieving so much in his career, Kohli persistently works hard and is willing to lead by example both on and off the pitch. He used to be very rash and reactive early on in his career. Now though, Kohli has matured into a fine gentleman and prefers to let his bat do the talking for him instead.

Seen as a national icon, Kohli is currently the only cricketer in Forbes list of highest paid athletes. He is the brand ambassador of big-name brands such as Puma, MRF Tyres and Audi through which he pockets round 146 crores, almost 21 times more than his contracted salary of 7 crores.

These were the 5 cricketers whose brand earnings exceed their BCCI contracted wages.

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About the author

Archie Blade

Archie Blade

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Archie is a WWE and UFC Editor/Author at the SportsRush. Like most combat sports enthusiasts, his passion for watching people fight began with WWE when he witnessed a young Brock Lesnar massacre Hulk Hogan back in 2002. This very passion soon branched out to boxing and mixed martial arts. Over the years he fell in love with the theatrics that preceded the bell and the poetic carnage that followed after. Each bruise a story to tell, each wound a song of struggle, his greatest desire is to be there to witness it all. His favorite wrestler is Shawn Michaels and he believes that GSP is the greatest to ever step foot inside the octagon. Apart from wrestling, he is also fond of poetry and music.

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