Discussions regarding Virat Kohli IPL salary have been pretty common for the last few years. The former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain has been one of the highest-paid players in the history of the league for a long time. Virat Kohli’s IPL salary has taken a bump this season after he relinquished his captaincy following IPL 2021.
Therefore, in the IPL 2022 retention list, he was retained by RCB for INR 15 crore, which is less than what KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Rishabh Pant, and Ishan Kishan are getting from Lucknow Supergiants, Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, and Delhi Capitals.
Let’s take a look at his IPL salaries over the years.
Virat Kohli IPL salary: Over the Years
| Year | Team | Salary |
| 2022 (Retain) | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 150,000,000 |
| 2021 (Retain) | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 170,000,000 |
| 2020 (Retain) | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 170,000,000 |
| 2019 (Retain) | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 170,000,000 |
| 2018 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 170,000,000 |
| 2017 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 125,000,000 |
| 2016 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 125,000,000 |
| 2015 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 125,000,000 |
| 2014 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 125,000,000 |
| 2013 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 82,800,000 |
| 2012 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 82,800,000 |
| 2011 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 82,800,000 |
| 2010 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 1,200,000 |
| 2009 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 1,200,000 |
| 2008 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | ₹ 1,200,000 |
| Total | ₹ 1,582,000,000 |
Interestingly, the former Team India captain has never been part of an IPL auction. Royal Challengers Bangalore had secured the services of then-Indian U19 player Virat Kohli from the Under 19 players’ draft for just under Rs 12 lakhs during the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008. Kohli had just won the U19 World Cup for India as a captain but Delhi, where Kohli is originally from, decided to bid for Pradeep Sangwan instead which paved the way for his move to Bangalore.
Virat Kohli made his debut against Kolkata Knight Riders in the very first match in IPL history. His salary of Rs 12 lakhs remained that way for the next three years until he received a massive bump in pay grade in 2011 when he started earning Rs 8.2 crores. Virat Kohli was the only player retained by RCB in 2011 and he drew the same salary every year between 2011 and 2014.
Virat Kohli was made a full-time RCB captain in 2013 and he earned another promotion in his paycheck in 2015. He started earning Rs 12.5 crore every year until 2017. Ahead of the IPL 2018 mega auction, Royal Challengers Bangalore decided to retain him for a whopping Rs 18 crore – a figure that has never been matched in the history of the Indian Premier League!
The RCB skipper continued to earn that record amount until 2021 when he decided to step down from the captaincy of RCB ahead of the second leg of IPL 2021. Although it was followed by a pay cut, Kohli was still RCB’s first retention choice for IPL 2022 and he got a contract worth Rs 15 crore.
But how does Virat Kohli’s IPL salary compare to some of the biggest superstars in the league?
IPL 2022 Highest Paid Players
| Player | Team | IPL Salary |
| KL Rahul | Lucknow Supergiants | 16 Crores |
| Rohit Sharma | Mumbai Indians | 16 Crores |
| Rishabh Pant | Delhi Capitals | 16 Crores |
| Ravindra Jadeja | Chennai Super Kings | 16 Crores |
| Ishan Kishan | Mumbai Indians | 15.25 Crores |
| Rashid Khan | Gujarat Titans | 15 Crores |
| Virat Kohli | Royal Challengers Bangalore | 15 Crores |
| Hardik Pandya | Gujarat Titans | 15 Crores |
| Sanju Samson | Rajasthan Royals | 14 Crores |
| Deepak Chahar | Chennai Super Kings | 14 Crores |
| Kane Williamson | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 14 Crores |
The captains of Lucknow Supergiants, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, and Chennai Super Kings are getting paid the highest salary in IPL 2022 – an amount of Rs 16 crores. Ishan Kishan was also the most expensive purchase at the IPL 2022 mega auction and MI secured his return for a whopping Rs 15.25 crores.
With the 15 crores that he’s getting this year, Virat Kohli will breach the elusive Rs 150 crore mark in the Indian Premier League. Kohli’s Indian teammate Rohit Sharma will also cross the mark this year with his salary of Rs 16 crores. He had earned more than Rs 146 crore up until IPL 2021. Former CSK captain MS Dhoni is the first player to cross the milestone figure and he has earned more than 152 crores as IPL salary so far. This season, Dhoni will draw Rs 12 crore from Chennai Super Kings after leading them to yet another IPL title last season.
Virat Kohli: Net Worth
Virat Kohli is number 1 on the list of highest-paid Indian cricketers. He holds a Grade A+ annual contract with the BCCI worth Rs 7 crores. We’ve already discussed his salary with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.
Kohli is also an extremely marketable athlete and commands a lot of money from endorsements. He makes upwards of Rs 17 crores from brand deals and charges nearly Rs 2 crores per day for shooting commitments.
He has endorsement deals with the likes of Manyavar, Pepsi, Cinthol Deo, Boost, Fastrack, Reebok, Godrej, Head & Shoulders, and Nestle India. Virat Kohli is also a brand ambassador of MPL.
Kohli’s brand One8 and Wrogn are extremely popular among the Indian urban youth. One8 is an athleisure brand tied to Puma and it also has a chain of popular restaurants and clubs across India. Wrogn is a luxury clothing company that makes fashionable apparel with funky and cool vibes.
Virat Kohli invested Rs 90 crores to own a chain of gyms called Chisel Fitness. He is also a co-owner of Indian Super League side FC Goa.
Virat Kohli has a bungalow in Delhi where he grew up as a kid. However, he spends most of his time with his wife Anushka Sharma in Mumbai, where they have an apartment in Bandra. It was bought for an amount of a whopping 9 crores in 2012.
FAQs
What is MS Dhoni’s IPL salary?
MS Dhoni was retained by Chennai Super Kings for Rs 12 crore ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction.
What is Rohit Sharma’s IPL salary?
Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma is earning Rs 16 crore after being retained by MI once again.
What was Virat Kohli’s IPL salary in 2021?
Virat Kohli drew a salary of Rs 17 crore from Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2021.
What is the net worth of Virat Kohli?
Virat Kohli is estimated to have a net worth is estimated to have a net worth of nearly $112 million or Rs 840 crore in 2022.
What is the name of Virat Kohli’s wife?
Virat Kohli is married to a famous Bollywood actress and producer Anushka Sharma. They got married in 2017 and have a baby daughter together called Vamika
