Indian skipper Virat Kohli is without doubt one of the world's highest-paid athletes but Kohli is not the highest-paid international captain. Yes, Kohli is second on the list of highest-paid international cricket captains as England Test skipper Joe Root earns more money than the India skipper.

It is to be noted that Kohli is the captain of Team India in all three formats and the BCCI has given him a Grade A+ contract, which means that Kohli earns Rs. 7 crores in annual salary. On the other hand, Joe Root draws a salary of GBP 7,00,000 annually (Rs. 7.22 crore approx.) from the ECB. It is surprising to note that even England fast bowler Jofra Archer earns more money for playing for his country than Virat Kohli. Australian Test skipper Tim Paine earns an annual salary of Rs 5 crore.


In 2020, Virat Kohli created history by becoming the only cricketer to find a place on the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Notably, Kohli earns a huge amount of money from brand endorsements and IPL appearances. The India skipper plays for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL and draws a staggering Rs. 17 crores as salary from RCB. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam gets Rs. 62 lakhs annually from Pakistan Cricket Board, while the Sri Lankan board pays Rs. 51 lakhs to Karunaratne annually.