Virat Kohli claims 61st spot in top-100 highest-earning athletes list

Legendary Indian cricketer Virat Kohli has been ranked at the 61st spot in the latest Sporticolist of the highest-earning athletes.

The former captain is also the highest-ranked cricketer in a list of 100 athletes from 10 different sports and 24 different countries.

Kohli, 33, earned a whopping $33.9 million between June 2021 to May 2022.

The list is headed by NBA stalwart LeBron James, who earned a jaw-dropping $126 million (including $90 million from endorsements) during the said period.

LeBron is followed by the legendary footballer duo of Lionel Messi ($122 million) and Christiano Ronaldo ($115 million) at second and third, respectively.

They are followed by Brazil footballer Neymar ($103 million) and boxer Canelo Alvarez, who raked in $89 million during the same period.

Other prominent names on the list include Lewis Hamilton, Roger Federer and Tiger Woods. Tennis player Naomi Osaka, ranking 20 on the list, is the highest-paid female athlete with total earnings of $53.2 million.

Others on the list include Tyson Fury, Lewis Hamilton, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer. 

Coming back to Virat, the champion batter still continues to be one of the most sought after athletes despite his recent lean patch.

The 33-year-old is endorsing over 30 brands, including Puma, Wrogn, American Tourister Luggage, Myntra, et al. Out of his total earnings of $33.9 million (Rs 261.03 Crore), Virat has raked in $31 million (Rs 238.7 Cr) from brand endorsements itself.

Kohli has endured a tumultuous last 12 months, both as batter and captain. He stepped down from leadership duties of the T20I and Test team in September 2021 and January 2022, respectively, besides getting sacked as ODI captain.

He is yet to score a three-figure score since November 2019 and is currently in the midst of his worst-ever Indian Premier League campaign.