The earnings of India's highest paid non-cricketer athlete were estimated at a whopping $7.1 million.
Male cricketers rule the roost when it comes to the highest earning sports celebrities in India. MS Dhoni took over the mantle from Sachin Tendulkar and now Virat Kohli has been at the top for a while. The next in line are the likes of India skipper Rohit Sharma, star players Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, KL Rahul and Shikhar Dhawan.
But while cricketers dominate the top ranks, there are few non-cricketer athletes who too make it to the earnings list. In the most recent list by Forbes from around a couple of years ago, seven non-cricket sportspersons made it to the 100 highest earning celebrities list.
These included the likes of football legend Sunil Chhetri, star wrestler Bajrang Punia, shuttler Saina Nehwal and Olympian Mary Kom. Chhettri, the highest earning footballer in the country, stood at 85 and had estimated earnings of Rs 6.1 crore. Former Boxer and current sports administrator Mary Kom returned earnings of Rs 3.9 crore to make it as the third highest earning non-cricketer athlete.
On the other hand, Punia's earnings were estimated at Rs 2.4 crore. Saina Nehwal's earnings came down from Rs 16.54 crore in 2018 to just Rs 3 crore in 2019. But the crown for the highest earning non-cricket athlete went to ace badminton star PV Sindhu, whose earnings were estimated at Rs 21.05 crore.
In 2022, Sindhu's earnings were estimated at a whopping $7.1 million, making her not just India's highest earning femate athlete but one of the highest paid in the world. The 28-year-old ranked as the 12th highest paid female athlete in the world. Her salary, winnings were estimated at $100,000 while she received around $7 million from endorsements. Her sponsors include brands like Bank of Baroda, Visa, Bridgestone, Johnson & Johnson, Li Ning, L'Oreal, MetLife, Asian Paints and Spinny.
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 "Highest paid non-cricket sportsperson in India, it's not Sunil Chhetri, Saina Nehwal or Bajrang Punia")
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