New Delhi: Former Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli was the highest-taxpaying sportsperson in the country in the financial year 2023-24, according to a list released by Fortune India. The report claimed Kohli, one of the top sporting icons of India, paid Rs 66 crore in FY24. The amount is roughly three times more than the selling price of IPL’s costliest player, Mitchell Starc (Rs 24.75 crore).
Overall, he ranked fifth among celebrity taxpayers, following actors Shah Rukh Khan ( Rs 92 crore), Vijay ( Rs 80 crore), Salman Khan ( Rs 75), and Amitabh Bachchan (Rs 71 crore).
Kohli, who is currently on a break from cricketing duties after playing in the ODI series against Sri Lanka last month, was way ahead of other sporting personalities on India’s list of highest-tax-paying celebrities.
The next best sporting icon on the list was MS Dhoni. The two-time World Cup-winning former India skipper paid Rs 38 crore in the last financial year to claim the seventh spot. Dhoni, despite retiring from international cricket in 2020, continues to be one of the highest-earning Indian sportspersons. He now only features in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Chennai Super Kings. There is, however, no clarity yet on his participation in the next season.
After Kohli and Dhoni, Mast Blaster Sachin Tendulkar is the only other Indian sportsperson to feature in the top 10 of the highest taxpayers’ list. The legendary cricketer, who still holds the records for scoring the most runs in ODIs and Tests, the most centuries in both formats and is the world’s only cricketer to play 200 Test matches, paid a total sum of Rs 28 crore as tax in FY24, Hindustan Times reported.
Former India captain Sourav Ganguly, who also served as the BCCI president is 12th on the list. Ganguly paid Rs 23 core as taxes.
The list also features current Indian team stars Hardik Pandya and Rishabh Pant. All-rounder Hardik paid tax worth Rs 13 crore while wicketkeeper-batter Pant, who is eyeing to make a Test comeback after a long injury layoff, paid Rs 10 crore as tax.
