India’s poster boy, Virat Kohli, celebrated his 37th birthday in November last year as he has emerged as one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. With a reported net worth of nearly 1050 crores, the former Indian captain has extended his appeal beyond the cricket field.
Besides the money he receives from BCCI contracts and IPL salary from RCB, he also earns a huge amount of money from Instagram and X posts and brand endorsements, as well as investments in luxury real estate. Besides money, he has also grown in social status over the years.
Virat Kohli, the 37-year-old Indian cricketer, has now partially given up the game. He has called time on his career in the longest and shortest formats of the game and continues to play only one-day cricket for India.
Virat’s fandom was clearly on display when the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a domestic competition in India played every year, came into the spotlight after Kohli returned to the tournament after a 15-year hiatus.
Expanding his reach across social media platforms, Kohli has almost 270 million followers and is among the highest-paid athletes thanks to endorsements. In 2026, he was among the top 5 most influential personalities on Instagram.
Virat Kohli ranks fourth in the list, led by global football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While actress and singer Selena Gomez and American businesswoman and media personality Kylie Jenner are also included in the top 5.
🚨 TOP 5 MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN THE WORLD ON INSTAGRAM 🚨 [Hype Auditor]
1) Christiano Ronaldo
2) Lionel Messi
3) Selena Gomez
4) Virat Kohli
5) Kylie Jenner pic.twitter.com/lxv0rdyGqb– Johannes. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 16, 2026
Virat Kohli reportedly earns a huge amount of money through the sponsored posts on social media platforms like Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). According to recent reports on Hindustan Times, Kohli gets paid around INR 12-12.5 crores per Instagram post.
He currently ranks among global stars as one of the 15 highest-paid athletes on Instagram. It is also known that he earns around INR 2.5 crores for every X post of his. Every major company is looking for support from the Indian star.
Kohli will continue his stardom with an extended IPL career
Kohli resumed international cricket in 2025 with the series in Australia and then returned to India to play against South Africa in a three-match one-day series, where he stunned everyone with his breathtaking performance after scoring two and a half centuries.
Kohli won the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 18th edition of the competition. Kohli, alongside the Royal Challengers, would defend the IPL title for the first time in 2026. He has shown no intention of retiring and would continue to perform in the IPL for years to come.
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