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Former India captain Virat Kohli is the highest paid cricketer in the world. However, the India star falls second to a female athlete when it comes to total earnings in the list of the Highest Paid Asian Sportspersons in 2023. The total difference in the earnings of both the athletes is approximately around USD 20 million. According to the recently released list of highest paid athletes in the world by Sportico, only two Asian names have managed to secure spots.
While Virat Kohli managed to grab the 61st spot on the standings, whereas the Japanese tennis tycoon Naomi Osaka has found herself the 20th rank. This makes her the highest-paid Asian sportsperson, according to Sportico.
The Indian superstar Virat Kohli’s total earnings are approximately USD 33.9 million, which consists of his USD 2.9 million salary from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Royal Challengers Bangalore. His additional salary of USD 31 million comes from endorsements. In the year 2021, Kohli was ranked the 51st highest paid athlete, and as per the latest tally, his position has dropped to two spots.
Speaking of Osaka, the 25-year-old tennis star’s total earnings amount to USD 53.2 million, which consists of USD 1.2 million from prize money, and additional USD 52 million from endorsements. Apart from being the highest paid Asian athlete, Osaka is the second-highest paid tennis player as per Sportico. In 2021, she was placed in 15th position, and the four-time Grand Slam winner has seen a drop of four spots in the newest list.
While Osaka has embraced motherhood a few weeks ago, Virat Kohli is a part of India’s squad for the West Indies tour 2023.
