What is Virat Kohli’s Net Worth and Salary?
Virat Kohli is an Indian international cricketer who has a net worth of $70 million. Virat Kohli plays in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore and in domestic cricket for Delhi. Additionally, he captained the Indian national cricket team from 2013 to 2022, recording 40 wins out of 68 matches. Regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of his time, Kohli has won such prestigious honors as the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
Highest Paid Athletes in the World
In some years, Virat Kohli has been one of the highest paid athletes in the world. For example, between June 2017 and June 2018, Virat Kohli earned $24 million between salary and endorsements. Of that total, $20 million was from endorsements.
Early Life
Virat Kohli was born on November 5, 1988 in New Delhi, India to Punjabi Hindu parents Prem and Saroj. He has an older sister named Bhavna and an older brother named Vikash. Brought up in Uttam Nagar, Kohli first went to school at the Vishal Bharti Public School. He was also among the first class of students to attend the West Delhi Cricket Academy, which was founded in 1998. Kohli’s father passed away from a stroke in late 2006.
Career Beginnings
Kohli began his youth cricket career in 2002 when he joined the Delhi Under-15 team to compete for the Polly Umrigar Trophy. The following season, he became the captain of the team. Kohli went on to play for the Delhi Under-17 team for the Vijay Merchant Trophy, which the team won in the 2004-05 season. In early 2006, Kohli made his List A debut for Delhi; later in the year, he made his first-class debut for the team. He finished the season with a total of 257 runs.
In the summer of 2006, Kohli joined the India Under-19 squad for its tour of England. The squad ultimately won both of its series against the England Under-19s. The next year, Kohli made his Twenty20 debut, and toured Sri Lanka with the India Under-19s. In early 2008, Kohli was the captain of the winning Indian team in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
International Career, Part 1
Kohli made his international debut in the Indian ODI squad for its tour of Sri Lanka in the summer of 2008. India ended up winning the series 3-2. Later, after recovering from a shoulder injury, Kohli returned to the national team in the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy. He next played in the seven-match home ODI series against Australia, and then in the home ODI series against Sri Lanka. In early 2010, Kohli was successful in the tri-nation ODI tournament in Bangladesh, finishing as the series’ leading run-scorer with 275. More success came in the tri-series in Zimbabwe, where Kohli became the fastest Indian batsman ever to make it to 1,000 runs in ODI cricket. He later helped India rout New Zealand 5-0 in a home ODI series, making him the leading run-scorer in ODIs for the year, with 995.
Thanks to his strong performances, Kohli was chosen for India’s World Cup squad in 2011. Playing in every match, he scored an unbeaten 100, and also recorded his fifth ODI century. India went on to claim the World Cup title, its first since 1983. Later in the year, Kohli was the leading run-scorer in the five-match home ODI series against England, helping India win 5-0. In the subsequent ODI series against the West Indies, Kohli notched his eight career ODI century; he once again finished the year as the leading run-scorer in ODI cricket, with 1,381. Following a strong performance in Australia, Kohli was named vice captain of the Indian team for the 2012 Asia Cup in Bangladesh. Although India failed to make it to the final, Kohli finished the tournament as the leading run-scorer, with 357. He continued his success in the five-match ODI tour of Sri Lanka that summer, as well as in the ICC World Twenty20.
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International Career, Part 2
In early 2013, India swept Australia in a home Test series. A few months later, India beat England in the ICC Champions Trophy. Kohli subsequently became captain of the Indian team heading into the triangular series in the West Indies. India went on to sweep Zimbabwe 5-0 during the subsequent five-match ODI tour in Zimbabwe. The team’s streak continued with a victory in the seven-match ODI series against Australia. Later, in December of 2014, Kohli became Test captain for the first time on the Australian tour. On the tour of Bangladesh in the summer of 2015, Kohli claimed his first series win as Test captain. The following year, he played a critical role in helping India take the Asia Cup. In 2017, Kohli recorded 2,818 international runs, the third-highest ever in a single year and the highest ever by an Indian player.
In the tour of South Africa in 2018, India won the ODI series 5-1; the team subsequently won in the tour of England and the Test series in Australia. In 2019, Kohli was appointed captain of the Indian squad for the Cricket World Cup. He later captained the national team in the 2021 ICC World Test Championship Final and 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Following the latter tournament, Kohli announced his retirement as ODI captain. In early 2022, he also stepped down as Test captain.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Kohli has also played with Royal Challengers Bangalore of the Indian Premier League. For eight seasons he served as the team’s captain. Although he got off to a rocky start, Kohli eventually became among the team’s top run-scorers. In the 2015 IPL, he led the Challengers to the playoffs, and in the 2016 IPL, helped the team come in second place. Moreover, he broke the record for most runs in a single IPL season in 2016, with 973. Later, in 2021, Kohli became the first-ever player to achieve 6,000 IPL runs.
Personal Life
In 2013, Kohli began a relationship with Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma. The pair married in late 2017, and had a daughter named Vamika in early 2021.
Kohli launched his own charity foundation in 2013 that assists disadvantaged kids. He also co-owns the Indian Super League club FC Goa; the International Premier Tennis League franchise UAE Royals; and the Pro Wrestling League franchise Bengaluru Yodhas.