Kohli sole Indian in Forbes’ list of highest-paid athletes

NEW DELHI : Virat Kohli is among the world’s highest-paid athletes, with the India cricket captain earning a whopping $24 million, according to a Forbes’ compilation topped by American boxing champion Floyd Mayweather.

Surprisingly, the ‘World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2018’ compilation is an all-male affair with no women being featured in the list.

KOHLI RANKED 83RD

Kohli, the only sportsperson from India to be featured in the list, is ranked 83rd with earnings of $24 million.

Kohli, 29, is not just cricketcrazy India’s biggest name but is also one of the most popular athletes in the world, “boasting more Twitter followers (25 millionplus) than all but three active sports stars”, Forbes said.

The ‘World’s Highest-Paid Athletes 2018’ list is topped by 41-year-old Mayweather, with $285 million earnings.

This year, The Board of Conwicket trol for Cricket in India named Kohli as one of just five players to receive the newly-created A+ contracts, which guarantee an annual retainer of more than $1 million, it said.

“Yet like the Indian cricket mega-stars who have come before him, Kohli’s big payday comes off the pitch” where he’s partnered with top brands such as Puma, Pepsi, Audi and Oakley, Forbes said.

Williams was the only woman to feature in the top 100 last year, but her prize money dropped from $8 million to $62,000 this year after she gave birth to her daughter, Alexis, in September.

This year 40 NBA players made the cut in Forbes’ annual look at the world’s 100 highestpaid athletes, breaking the record of 32 set last year by hoopsters.

Mayweather heads the world’s highest-paid athletes for the fourth time in seven years, thanks to a $275 million payday for his August match against UFC star Conor McGregor. PTI