Virat Kohli lone Indian in Forbes' 100 richest athlete list, only cricketer too

Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli became the only Indian to feature in the list of highest-paid athletes released by Forbes. He is also the sole cricketer to be named in the list with a valuation of $22 million (more than Rs 141 crores). This figure is cumulative of his salary and match fees, amounting to three million US dollars (Rs 19.27 crores), along with his endorsement earnings.

Kohli secured 89th place in the list. The 28-year old cricketer was named the captain of Indian national team in 2015, making him one of the youngest to get the position. He is on the younger half of the list too; the average age of the 100 richest sportspersons is 31 years. He was named as captain for limited-overs format some time later.

Last year Kohli earned $1 million (around Rs 6.42 crores) in match fees and salary. He has also been one of the highest paid players in the Indian Premier League, thanks to the hefty pay check of $2.3 million (around Rs 14.77 crores). He has been the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2013.

A significant part of his earnings are from sponsorships. He recently signed an eight-year contract with Puma for $16.5 million (above Rs 106 crores). Along with this, Kohli also has brands like Pepsi, Herbalife, Tissot and Audi with him.

In its report, Forbes introduces Virat as "Indian cricket phenom" who has already drawn comparisons to cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar "for good reason". He has been continuously shattering batting records, the Forbes report read, with the fastest 1,000 runs in Twenty-20 format.

Other athletes on the list

Cristiano Ronaldo became the highest-paid athlete in the world with a total of $93 million in his kitty. The Portuguese footballer had his contract with Spanish club Real Madrid that will pay him more than $50 million (more than Rs 321 crores). He has topped the list for the second time in a row, a position that had been held by golfer Tiger Woods or boxer Flyod Mayweather for 15 years.

Forbes stated that despite the fact that Woods goes on to 'sink further away' from the athlete that he was, sponsors still have not lost their faith in him. The golf star was arrested after he was found asleep behind the wheel of his car due to his medication. He came 17th on the list.

LeBron James, who plays for basketball team Cleveland Cavaliers, came second with a $86.2 million (Rs 553.8 crores) and the top of 32 basketball players, the highest ever number Forbes' list has ever seen. Argentine footballer Lionel Messi came third ($80 million or Rs 514 crores), with tennis star Roger Federer on fourth (Rs 411 crores).

Serena Williams, the wonder woman

Another thing of note is that the list has only one female sportsperson this year, Serena Williams. The tennis sensation was on the 51st position on the list with $27 million (Rs 173 crores).

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