Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the top-earning cricketer in the world, indicating that advertisers not only back India when it comes to cricket but also they are keen to identify younger popular faces that appeal to the youth.
Dhoni, who runs in Reebok’s and Pepsi’s ad campaigns, has mopped up $10 million over the last 12 months while four other Indian players make it to the Forbes’ list of the 10 top-earning cricketers in the world.
Sachin Tendulkar occupies the second spot with earnings of $8 million, followed by Yuvraj Singh ($5.5 million) and Rahul Dravid ($5 million).
“Paycheck figures include club and national team salaries and commercial endorsement income over the last 12 months,” according to Forbes.
England’s Andrew Flintoff is fifth in the ranking with $4 million. Sourav Ganguly and Australian cricketer Ricky Ponting shared the sixth place with $3.5 million.
Brett Lee and Kevin Pietersen are tied in eighth place with $3 million while Michael Clarke is ranked 10th ($2.5 million).
The cash-rich Indian Premier League has particularly shored up the earnings of the cricketers. “With its deep-pocketed owners and global appeal, the IPL has shaken up professional cricket, luring top players from five continents with paychecks as big as $1,11,000 for each three-hour match. That’s a stunning sum in a sport where domestic leagues have traditionally been an afterthought to the international version of the game. For the top stars, endorsements are the most lucrative source of revenue,”..Tags:M.SDhoni,Indian Cricket,Captain
