Sachin Tendulkar still close to the top of Indian cricket earners - in pictures

Virat Kohli is comfortably the highest paid cricketer in the world

Virat Kohli: According to Forbes, the India captain earned a cool $25million (Dh91m) last year through salary and endorsements. But Forbes India pegged his overall earnings at $34m. Either way, he is easily on top of this list. AFP

Mahendra Singh Dhoni: The wicketkeeper batsman bagged $18.5m in 2019. However, his earnings are expected to come down this year as he does not have a central contract for 2020 and his international career is also winding down. Getty Images

Sachin Tendulkar. Here is a surprise. Tendulkar retired from international cricket in 2013 but continues to be one of the top earning cricket stars in the world, mainly due to his extensive endorsements list. He earned $10m last year. Getty Images

Rohit Sharma: After Virat Kohli, Rohit is the most bankable batsman in Indian cricket. He held India’s batting together during the 2019 World Cup and is now a bona fide all-format player. Last year, he earned $7.5m and his stocks are going to rise after that World Cup campaign which included five centuries. PA

Rishabh Pant: The wicketkeeper batsman was seen as the next big thing in Indian cricket last year. His overall earnings were a respectable $4m. The last few months have been tough for the Delhi player. But a good IPL should put him back on top. AFP

Hardik Pandya: The India all-rounder had been laid low by a back injury and has just started his return to competitive cricket. Arguably the third most crucial member of the Indian team in all formats, Pandya took home $3.4 m in 2019. Getty Images

Jasprit Bumrah: The No1 pace bowler in India is as valuable on the field as Virat Kohli. He earned $3.2m in 2019 and despite ongoing struggles with injury and form, should be looking at another fruitful year. Reuters

KL Rahul: The stylish batsman is at the peak of his powers and after a bumper 2019-20, should be looking at a lot more than the $3.2m he earned last year. He is the most in-demand player right now, which should add to his value. AFP

Shikhar Dhawan: He might be closer to the end of his career than the start, but Dhawan still managed to rake in $2.7m. The opening batsman has suffered successive injury setbacks in 2019 and will look to put his unfortunate fitness issues behind him this year. AP

Ravindra Jadeja: The all-rounder had made himself ‘undroppable’ in all three formats after markedly improving his batting and bowling to suit both red and white-ball cricket, while maintaining his world-class fielding standards. He is worth a lot more than the $2.4m he earned in 2019. AP

There is a lot of money in cricket and needless to say Indian cricket is by far the richest in the world. The multi-billion dollar Indian Premier League and cash-rich Indian cricket board are the engines that run the cricketing world – even after you take into account recent austerity measures. It is, therefore, no surprise that Indian cricketers are some of the highest paid in the game.

India captain Virat Kohli is the best-paid cricketer in the world, placed 100th on Forbes' global list of athletes. While his salary of $4million (Dh14m) does not compare favourably to that of other top earners, his endorsements figure of $21m puts him in the elite list.

So how much do Indian cricketers earn? Forbes India came out with the list for top earners for 2019, taking into account their salaries and brand endorsements. The list is for earnings in the previous financial year and is expected to change this year, with wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni likely to come down a few places due to his continued absence from competitive cricket.

Above is a photo gallery of the top earners. To move to the next image, click on the arrows, or if using a mobile device, simply swipe.