Virat Kohli in Forbes list of world's highest paid athletes
Indian skipper Virat Kohli is the sole Indian to feature among the Forbes’ list of the world's 100 highest paid athletes. Kohli has been ranked 89th on the list with total earnings of USD 22 million that includes USD three million from salary and winnings and another 19 million from endorsements.
Kohli, the only Indian to feature on the list and described by the publication as the "Indian cricket phenom" added that the Indian has "for good reason" already drawn comparisons to all-time great Sachin Tendulkar, as reported by TOI.
The 28-year old Indian enjoyed a phenomenal run of form over the last two years and has made the list on that merit. This point was reiterated by Forbes as it added that Kohli has continuously shattered batting records and in 2015 was named the captain of the Indian national team, making him one of the youngest players ever to do so.
The list noted that last year Kohli made nearly USD 1 million in salary and match fees from his national team play, and he's also among the Indian Premier League's (IPL) highest-paid players due to his salary of USD 2.3 million salary from the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
"The vast majority of his income, however, comes from one of the sports world's most impressive sponsorships portfolios," Forbes said. The earnings figures include salaries, prize money and bonuses earned between June 2016 and June 2017.
Here is the list of the top 10 highest paid athletes:
| Rank | Name | Pay | Salary/Winnings | Endorsements |
| 1 | Cristiano Ronaldo | $93 M | $58 M | $35 M |
| 2 | LeBron james | $86.2 M | $31.2 M | $55 M |
| 3 | Lionel Messi | $80 M | $53 M | $27 M |
| 4 | Roger Federer | $64 M | $6 M | $58 M |
| 5 | Kevin Durant | $60.6 M | $26.6 M | $34 M |
| 6 | Andrew Luck | $50 M | $47 M | $3 M |
| 7 | Rory Mcllroy | $50 M | $16 M | $34 M |
| 8 | Stephen Curry | $47.3 M | $12.3 M | $35 M |
| 9 | James Harden | $46.6 M | $26.6 M |
$20 M |
| 10 | Lewis Hamilton | $46 M | $38 M |
$8 M |