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Ravi Shastri reveals the 10-figure incomes of cricket icons MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri says that top stars like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar rake in 10 figures on an annual basis, and could even earn more if time allowed.
In a candid chat with former England players on the Stick to Cricket podcast, Ravi Shastri left the room stunned by pulling back the curtain on what India's cricketing elite truly make off the field. While fans are often aware of match fees and IPL contracts, Shastri brought up the staggering sums that come from brand endorsements.
According to the cricket commentator, legends like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Sachin Tendulkar each pull in over INR 100 crore, approximately EUR 10 million, every year through endorsements alone.
‘Upwards of Rs 100 crore’ from endorsements
Shastri, speaking to Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook, David Lloyd and Phil Tufnell, emphasized that cricket in India offers commercial opportunities rivaling global football stars. “They earn a lot. A lot through endorsements,” he said.
When pressed for specifics, he broke it down bluntly: “Upwards of 100 crores. Which would say 10 million pounds.” The calculation—roughly one pound to 100 rupees—sparked audible surprise among the English panel.
Shastri then reiterated that this figure could be even higher in some cases, given the sheer scale of the Indian market.
No time to do more, even at that rate
According to Shastri, Indian cricket’s top-tier stars are so busy that their endorsement opportunities are limited not by demand, but by time. “Someone like an MS, or a Virat, or Sachin in his pomp... they would do over 15-20 ads. And it’s per day,” he explained, “There’s no time; they could easily do more.”
That intense scheduling pressure, combined with relentless on-field commitments, prevents even more commercial work, despite potentially higher paydays. “They’ll do an ad for a year… and give a day for the shoot, that’s all you’ll get. And then you play it out as many times as you want,” he stated, explaining just how massive cricket’s commercial engine is in India.
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