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Lucrative T20 leagues and endorsements have made cricket one of the best-paying sports on the planet and for the best of the best, it can make the players extremely wealthy.
Leagues such as the IPL have made cricketers some of the most highly-paid athletes on the planet and these are the 10 richest active players currently in the sport.
=9. Pat Cummins – £30m
The Australian Test captain kicks us off with a reported net worth of ~£30m.
He is centrally contracted by Cricket Australia, earning him a salary of $2 million AUD per year along with a $20k fee per Test match, but some of Cummins’ big paydays have also come in the IPL.
In 2024, he was acquired by the Sunrisers Hyderabad for a record-breaking INR 20.50 crore (£1.6m) and also has around 15 endorsement deals, most notably Gillette, Hublot and New Balance.
Away from cricket, Cummins, along with his wife, has built a real estate portfolio across New South Wales.
=9. Glenn Maxwell – $30m
His nickname as the ‘Big Show’ should tell you just why Glenn Maxwell is such a coveted T20 player.
His explosive batting, especially in the crucial moments, has made him a desired player for over a decade now and he has played his T20 trade across Australia, India and England.
In 2013, he was the most expensive purchase at the IPL auction after costing the Mumbai Indians $1million. The following year, he was bought by Kings XI Punjab for another payday.
A 13-year career in the IPL has seen his net worth tick along nicely and earlier this month, he was announced as co-owner of a new European T20 Premier League team, the Irish Wolves.
8. Babar Azam – $32m
While his contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board provides the bulk of his annual earnings, Azam has earned plenty from featuring in franchise cricket.
The restriction on Pakistani players in the IPL has denied him those earnings but he instead plays his trade in the PSL which secured him $220,000 for the 2025 season.
As Pakistan’s most famous active player, he also has plenty of endorsements to boost his pay packet.
7. Rashid Khan – $35m
A T20 specialist, spinner Rashid Khan has played in the IPL, BBL and Caribbean leagues, demanding high fees from each team.
His base salary comes from his Afghanistan contract but he has a huge number of endorsements which boost his income.
6. Jos Buttler – £38m
The big-hitting Buttler has long been part of England’s central contract list but also earns handsome fees in franchise cricket.
In 2024, he was sold to IPL side Gujarat Titans for £1.4m and has also played in Australian and Caribbean franchise cricket.
He has plenty of endorsements too, most notably with New Balance and Asics.
5. David Warner – $40m
Warner’s Australian Test career may be over but he is still enjoying the twilight years of his cricket career in limited-overs formats.
In the IPL, he earned a handsome salary with Sunrisers Hyderabad and is a BBL regular too.
As for endorsements, he is partnered with Asics, Kia and Red Bull and others and also has invested in sports academies, fitness brands and lifestyle ventures.
4. Ben Stokes – $42m
The England Test captain is focused on the long-form version of the game but for a number of years, Stokes was a highly sought-after IPL player.
He has been sold for over £1m on three occasions but dropped out of the 2024 and 2025 auctions to focus on his Test career.
As for England, he is centrally contracted and earns a reported £2.5m per year.
In terms of endorsements, Stokes has been a Red Bull athlete for a number of years as well as partnerships with Adidas, Gunn & Moore and a number of others.
3. Steve Smith – $50m
The highest paid Aussie on this list is Steve Smith who earns a reported $50m.
His wealth is driven by Cricket Australia contracts over the years as well as his match fees in international matches but he has also taken home a not insignificant amount from franchise cricket.
He was made captain of Rajasthan Royals in 2021 after being purchased for INR 2.20 Cr (£175k).
As for endorsements, Smith is a partner with more than 25 brands including New Balance, Toyota Australia, Gillette, Vodafone Australia, and Weet-Bix.
2. Rohit Sharma – $55m
Indian cricket legend Sharma has earned handsomely from his matches with his national team and as a player in all three formats, he has the match fees to show it.
Away from his national team, Sharma is an IPL legend too and is behind only Dhoni in terms of matches played. From 2011 to the present, he has been auctioned for at least 9 crore (£700k) and also a number of off-field endorsements.
The biggest of those are CEAT Tyres, Boost, and Coca-Cola which all contribute to his $55m net worth.
1. Virat Kohli – $125m
There’s wealthy cricketers and then there’s Virat Kohli.
The Indian star is not only the biggest celebrity in the game but arguably the most famous Indian in the world and his endorsements reflect that.
The batsman has enormous deals with the likes of Puma, Audi, MRF Tyres and PepsiCo which support earnings from his India contracts and appearances in the IPL.
Smart investments have also multiplied his wealth and if you have ever taken a look at his social media, you will see it is engineered to earn him money.
Kohli’s wealth dwarfs any other active player and it is only when you compare him to the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni that he has any rivals.
Read next: The 9 biggest surprises who didn’t get a deal at the IPL player auction
The post The 10 richest active cricketers in the world as IPL stars dominate appeared first on Cricket365.
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