Quick answer
Virat Kohli’s net worth is estimated at about Rs 1,600 crore in the M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026, which makes him the richest cricketer on that list, ahead of Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. Other 2026 estimates are lower, between roughly Rs 1,115 crore and Rs 1,200 crore. Nobody outside his own team knows the exact figure.
So which number should you trust? We lead with Hurun because it is the only one with a published method behind it. The rest are media estimates that rarely say where they come from. Below is what we can actually check: his IPL pay, his BCCI contract, his business stakes and the brand deals reported by business outlets.
The estimates side by side
| Estimate | Who says it | When |
|---|---|---|
| About Rs 1,600 crore | M3M Hurun India Rich List 2026, via Mint | October 2026 |
| About $125 million (around Rs 1,196 crore) | Business Today | August 2026 |
| About Rs 1,115 crore | Outlook Business, citing reports | June 2026 |
The gap is large because none of these outlets can see his accounts. Private company stakes and property are hard to value. Treat every figure as a range, not a fact.
Where the money comes from
IPL salary. Royal Challengers Bengaluru retained Kohli for Rs 21 crore a season from IPL 2025. He stayed at that price for IPL 2026, when RCB beat Gujarat Titans in the final to win back-to-back titles. RCB have to confirm their IPL 2027 retentions by 17 November 2026, as reported by Outlook India.
BCCI contract. Kohli was moved to Grade B in the 2025-26 central contracts announced in February 2026, and the A+ grade was scrapped. The BCCI did not publish the amounts this time. Grade B has been reported at Rs 3 crore a year, but that is a report, not an official number. A 2026-27 list had not been announced when we checked.
Match fees. The BCCI’s official fees are Rs 15 lakh per Test, Rs 6 lakh per ODI and Rs 3 lakh per T20I. Since Kohli now plays only ODIs, only the ODI fee applies.
Business stakes. In December 2025, Storyboard18 reported that Kohli put Rs 40 crore into athleisure firm Agilitas for a minority stake and moved his One8 brand there. That ended his long Puma deal. Outlook Business also lists Wrogn, Chisel Fitness and the One8 Commune restaurants among his ventures, without stake values.
Endorsements. Outlook Business reports he earns around Rs 200 to 250 crore a year from brand deals, at Rs 7.5 to 10 crore per partnership. Kroll’s 2025 celebrity brand study ranked him third in India at $158.4 million in brand value, behind Shah Rukh Khan. Brand value is not the same as net worth, so do not add the two together.
Career status in 2026
Kohli quit T20Is after India won the 2024 T20 World Cup and announced his Test retirement on 12 May 2025, finishing with 9,230 Test runs and 30 hundreds. He still plays ODIs. In September 2026 he passed 15,000 ODI runs, only the second man after Tendulkar to get there, according to the ICC. He is part of India’s ODI squad in New Zealand this month. Whether he lasts until the World Cup in South Africa is the big question, and we look at it in our Rohit and Kohli 2027 piece.
Our take
The headline figure matters less than the shift behind it. Kohli now earns more from equity and brands than from cricket. His IPL pay and BCCI retainer together are a small share of his reported endorsement income. That is why his wealth will likely keep rising after he stops playing, much like Tendulkar and Dhoni. The one cricket number to watch is his IPL 2027 retention on 17 November.
FAQs
Is Virat Kohli the richest cricketer in India?
On the Hurun India Rich List 2026, yes. His Rs 1,600 crore estimate was ahead of Tendulkar and Dhoni at Rs 1,500 crore each, as reported by Mint.
How much does Kohli get from the IPL?
Rs 21 crore a season from RCB, his retention price since IPL 2025.
Does Kohli still play for India?
Yes, in ODIs only. He has retired from Tests and T20Is.
Sources
- Mint (via TradingView): Hurun India Rich List 2026 actors and cricketers
- Business Today: Richest cricketers in 2026 (Aug 2026)
- Outlook Business: Kohli net worth and brand deals (Jun 2026)
- ICC: Big changes in India’s annual player contracts (Feb 2026)
- Storyboard18: Kohli invests Rs 40 crore in Agilitas (Dec 2025)
- ICC: Kohli scales another ODI record (Sep 2026)
About this story. Written by the T20 Cricinfo desk from the sources listed above. Net worth figures are third-party estimates; IPL salary, contract grade and match fees were checked against official or major media sources, while the Grade B retainer amount is reported, not confirmed by the BCCI.
