Money power: From Sachin to Dhoni, here are India's richest cricketers

Sachin Tendulkar has a penchant for unique timepieces. M S Dhoni loves to stock his garage with superbikes (22 at last count), and Virat Kohli does the same with luxury cars. These are India’s richest cricketers.

Over the past decade, though, IPL has reduced the gap between niche and regular cricketers – in terms of pay and spending power, that is. Rohit Sharma, too, has a bevy of luxury cars, while Suresh Raina owns a personalised yellow Porsche matching the Chennai Super Kings’ jersey. They all also live in swanky, custom-designed bungalows.

IPL’s riches cut across age groups. In the January auctions, Prithvi Shaw (Rs 12 million, Delhi Daredevils), Shubman Gill (Rs 18 million, Kolkata Knight Riders), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Rs 32 million, KKR), Shivam Mavi (Rs 30 million, KKR) and Anukul Roy (Rs 2 million, Mumbai Indians) — all under 20 — earned fat pay cheques. 

MS Dhoni. Photo: PTI

Before them players such as Sharma, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Axar Patel and Rishabh Pant have made their bones. It isn’t an easy balance to achieve, for the pull of fame and money is immense. Take the case of Samson, who was named the Emerging Player of the 2013 season and then made strides into the Indian team for the ODI tour of England (2014). Then came the nosedive in both form and behaviour. Samson repeatedly fell foul of the authorities. He also lost the MRF sponsorship, one of the key endorsements for batsmen around the world, which has now landed in Shaw’s lap.

Take also the case of Sarfaraz Khan (Royal Challengers Bangalore). His Under-19 exploits made him the youngest player to feature in the 2015 IPL when RCB offered him a Rs 5-million contract. His performances since weren't up to scratch, barring flashes of brilliance. Yet, in a surprising move ahead of the 2018 auction, RCB retained him for (Rs 17.5 million). This has helped satiate his desire for fancy watches and build a house for his family. How many 20-year-olds can boast of such riches?

It goes to show how IPL has gone on to improve the lives of cricketers – young and old. Sometimes, though, it takes a toll. Samson recovered and is now scoring aplenty, making waves and a case for call-up again. Khan, meanwhile, is yet to get his mojo back.