Richest Cricketers in 2014

Many South Asian nations are cricket crazy nations; their people wish to watch just cricket 24/7 and yet, their appetites for watching cricket never come to satiation! Over time, cricket has evolved to become one of the most popular games played on the planet! This is especially because of the investment that has been made by commercial companies into the game. In addition to that, the change of format of the game with the introduction of the 20-20 format has player its role as well. Moreover, the English Premier League Style Club game matches such as IPL, ICL etc. having been introduced in cricket have only served to increase its popularity. Cricket clubs now play matches against each other with players taken from international cricket teams as team members for the club teams. In this article however, we take a look at the Top 10 richest cricketers in 2014.

10. Suresh Raina

 

Suresh Raina of India is said to have had signed a number of commercials and is also a member of the financially lucrative Indian Premier League [IPL]. Suresh, although a new player insofar, has reportedly earned a NET income of USD 5 Million in 2014, with his earnings anticipated to grow in the future.

9. Rohit Sharma

Rohit, also from India, is a skillful batsman and knows how to deal with incoming Yorkers, googlies, and full tosses! Rohit’s bank balances stand at USD 6 Million and you shouldn’t be surprised if they rise up only too soon! This is because he is also an active member of the Indian Premier League [IPL] where he has made a number of records only recently and of course, won cash prizes and other awards against his performances.

8. Gautam Gambhir

Gautam earned an income with a NET financial value of USD 8M in 2014. Roughly half of his income came from playing cricket while the other half from product endorsements. He plays for Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has a couple of major sponsors, namely Reebok, Red Bull and Hero Honda. He too is expected to climb the ladder of success and earn in a whole lot more money that would take him from USD 8 Million to who knows where.

   

7. Kevin Pieterson 

The spot is filled by Kevin Peterson from England whose career in the English team was ended abruptly by the cricket board in England. However, Kevin Peterson has been a star player in the Indian Premier League where he is ranked as the fifth highest paid cricketer. So, you can imagine his level of earnings from IPL when he is designated as being such a high earner. His total earnings as a cricket player as of 2014 stand at USD 8 Million.

6. Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle of West Indies, who is a very skillful batsman and can make all bowlers nervous when it comes to bowling to him and his hard work and performances have earned him a lot of respect and rewards. Chris was one of only three players who were retained by the RCB for the IPL this year in 2014. He is reported to have a very high paying job with the RCB who would be paying him USD 1.57M for this year’s IPL. He also plays for the T-20I and for USD 250,000. He is estimated to have earned USD 8.5 Million so far in 2014 from playing cricket and endorsements combined.

5. Virat Kohli

It is interesting to note the nigh number of Indian players in our list, which has to do with the amount of attachment of the Indian nation with cricket and the premise linked to it that Indian cricket players are the highest paid in the world! Also considered to be amongst the highest paid cricketers in the Indian Premier League [IPL] while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kohli is estimated to have earned USD 9.5 Million so far in 2014. His major sponsors are Nike, PepsiCo and Toyota and around USD 4 Million of his total earnings were from endorsements for products.

4. Shane Watson

Shane is an all-rounder, so his expertise with both the ball and the bat help him reach such a high place in our list, having had earned USD 10 Million in 2014 so far. Shane has played for the high-paying Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, [IPL], and his major sponsors are Gunn & Moore, Asics and TAG Heuer.

3. Shahid Afridi

At # 3 in our list here is Boom Boom Afridi who is having a fantastic year so far by having had earned USD 12 Million and going strong! Lala is an all-rounder too and plays havoc with both the ball and the bat. He is said to be the highest paid cricketer in BPL, SPL and APL as of 2014. He has a track record of consistently earning his match fees and bonuses without any deductions for all practical purposes. Also, he has a high amount of earning from advertisements and his major sponsoring brands are Pepsi, Habib Bank, Mobilink, and Head & Shoulders.

 

2. Sachin Tendulkar

Only second to the top slot is the little genie, Sachin Tendulkar, who is an expert batsman and does wonders with his excellent timing of the ball with his bat. He earned around USD 16 Million this year from advertisements and other sources of income despite having had retired. Tendulkar has commanded the top slot in the list of highest paid cricketers during his heydays in cricket and coming at # 2 is certainly no mean feat either!

1. M S Dhoni

The top-notch position in our list of the richest cricketers 2014 goes to M S Dhoni of India! So the top two positions going to Indians, in addition to other ranks in our list. M S Dhoni made an incredible amount of money this year, totaling USD 30M so far this year. He is said to have at least twenty five endorsements, each of which pay USD 1 Million annually. Virtue of his high earnings, he is also amongst the highest tax paying individuals in India.