Virat Kohli Becomes First Sportsperson To Earn Top Spot on Forbes India Celebrity 100 List

It has been a stellar year for the run machine Virat Kohli. After clinching a four-wicket victory against West Indies in Cuttack and winning the ODI series by 2-1, Virat ends 2019 as the leading run-getter in a calendar year with the most international runs, for fourth year in a row. Registering these incredible feats to his name, Virat adds another feather to his golden hat by emerging as the first sportsperson to claim the top position on the Forbes India Celebrity 100 List. Forbes India rankings are calculated based on two major parameters: estimated earnings and fame quotient.

With a huge fan base and massive earnings from brand endorsements, the 31-year-old ace player has perched at the top of the list with INR 252.72 crore, earned during the period from October 1, 2018, to September 30, 2019.

What’s even more special is the fact that Virat is the first sportsperson to occupy the top position since the inception of this Forbes list eight years ago. His earnings include match fees, the BCCI central contract, endorsements and an eight-figure fee for every sponsored Instagram post.

Virat dethroned renowned Bollywood celebs

Captain Virat is undoubtedly one of the most prolific cricketers across the globe and now, he has taken the world by storm replacing Salman Khan from the first spot. Salman Khan has been at the top of the Forbes list for three consecutive years since 2016 and now, he dropped to number three with INR 229.25 core. Not only Salman, Virat has unseated many other Bollywood A-listers, namely Akshay Kumar (2^nd), SRK (6^th), and Big B (4^th). In fact, Akshay Kumar sits at second position despite having higher earnings than Virat worth INR 293.25 crore. It is because the former has a relatively poor fame score than the latter.

Other sportsperson who made it to the list

Virat is not the only sportsperson on the list. There are many other cricketers in this list including, former India captain MS Dhoni who stands at fifth position and Sachin Tendulkar, who is at ninth position. Even though Tendulkar retired in 2013 and has been not that active on the field, his stardom is still intact and going strong. Rohit entered the list and climbed to 11^th from 23^rd spot this year.  KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Shikhar Dhawan, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav have also made their place in the list.

What has come as a big surprise is the mention of female Indian cricketers on the list, namely Mithali Raj, Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur. These women are the pride of the nation as India, which was once a sleeping giant in women’s cricket, is now recognizing the contribution of these women in sports. 

Apart from cricket, other sports athletes have also occupied high ranks in the list. It includes boxer Mary Kom, footballer Sunil Chhetri, shuttlers PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal, tennis player Rohan Bopanna, wrestler Bajrang Punia, and golfer Anirban Lahiri.

Also Read: IND VS WI: VIRAT & KL RAHUL TURN SAVIOR AS INDIA WIN ODI SERIES 2-1

The top 10 achievers in this list are: