Virat Kohli. (Photo Source: Pramod Thakur/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Kohli is the most-followed cricketer on Instagram with 256 million followers at present. He has a massive lead over his former India captain MS Dhoni, who is second on the list with 44.9 million followers. According to the Hopper Instagram Rich List 2023, Kohli charged a jaw-dropping sum of INR 14 crore for every single sponsored post he put on Instagram. No other Indian earned more in the period from Instagram than the legendary batter. Kohli found a place at No. 14 on the list that was topped by football legend Cristiano Ronaldo, while World Cup winner Lionel Messi came second.
The former Royal Challenger Bangalore skipper charged a staggering USD 1.38 million for putting a post on Instagram, as per the report. In Indian currency, the amount translates to INR 21.49 crore per post, according to Hopper HQ. He is the only Indian in the list of top 20 earners from Instagram.
Kohli gears up for ODI World Cup 2023
Kohli recently featured in the two-match Test series between India and the West Indies, scoring a fifty and a hundred in the two innings he played. He also played the first of the three-match ODI series but didn’t get to bat. The next assignment for the former India captain will be the Asia Cup, which begins on August 30.
Kohli will be playing his fourth ODI World Cup later this year. He won the tournament in his maiden appearance in 2011, and in the next couple of editions in 2015 and 2019, he had to settle for semi-final exits with the team. He will be raring to go great guns in the upcoming World Cup that will be played exclusively in India for the first time.
The Delhi batter was already a popular name before he made his international debut as India had already won the under-19 World Cup under his leadership. His first match for the senior India team was in 2008 when India faced Sri Lanka in an ODI encounter. Kohli established himself as a reliable top-order batter in quick time, and after almost fifteen years in the circuit, the former India captain has achieved remarkable feats and deservingly gained immense stardom.