India's highest paid athletes

Indian athletes are getting paid higher amounts both on and off the field. This is due to the fact that companies are willing to encourage talent which in turn improves their brand value as well.Here are 10 highest paid athletes in the country.

#21 Vijender Singh 2.75 Crore

The 2014 Commonwealth Games silver medallist makes it to the list after having a decent year in the ring and on the silver screen. Singh made his debut in Akshay Kumar produced film Fugly earlier this year.

He has endorsements with brands like Nike, Mountain dew and Nestle.

#20 Mahesh Bhupathi - 4.63 Crore

Bhupathi has been out of action for a while due to an injury, but the doubles specialist’s association with Globosport has helped athletes like Saina Nehwal, Sania Mirza, Somdev Devvarman, Dipika Pallikal, Zaheer Khan, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Bhaichung Bhutia and Pankaj Advani in the last few years.

The International Tennis Premier League (ITPL) is the brainchild of Bhupathi and is set to kick off in November this year. Several top players will represent four cities – Manila, Delhi, Dubai and Singapore.

#19 Leander Paes - 5.26 Crore

Paes became the oldest Grand Slam winner when he won the US Open Men’s doubles title with Radek Stepanek last year. He was honoured with Padma Bhushan by the Government of India earlier this year. Paes is one of the leading doubles players in the world and it was evident when he combined with Rohan Bopanna to give India a fighting chance in the Davis Cup tie against Serbia. He is the sports ambassador of Haryana.

#18 Ishant Sharma - 5.66 Crore

Ishant Sharma is the leading bowler for India in both Tests and One-day internationals. His recent form overseas has been tremendous and helped India win the Lord’s test in July. He plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.

#17 Shikhar Dhawan - 6.34 Crore

Shikhar Dhawan opens the batting for India in both tests and one-day internationals. He had a horrible tour of England in the test series, but bounced back in the latter stages of the one-day series. He was the player of the tournament in the ICC Champions trophy last year and hit 187 runs in his Test debut against Australia. He was also the captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL.

#16 Cheteshwar Pujara - 6.34 Crore

Pujara has been the mainstay of Indian batting in test matches in India and abroad. However, the Gujarat lad had a wretched series in England which India lost 1-3. He bats at No. 3 position for India. His stroke play and temperament at the crease have drawn comparisons to Rahul Dravid.

#15 Sania Mirza - 7.1 Crore

Sania Mirza is in terrific form in doubles as he pocketed the US Open mixed doubles’ trophy with Brazilian Bruno Soares this year. She needs to win Wimbledon to complete a career slam (all grand slams won). She is ranked No. 5 in the women’s doubles. She quit playing singles last year.

#14 Zaheer Khan - 7.35 Crore

Zaheer Khan is struggling to find a place in the Indian team at the moment, but his experience have helped the nation on various occasions in the past. Khan made a comeback against South Africa in the test series last year and was not considered for the tour of England. His form in the IPL wasn’t good either.

#13 Rahul Dravid - 7.66 Crore

‘The Wall’ might have retired from the game, but he is still associated with the game as a broadcaster. He was the batting consultant for the Indian team during the recent tour to England. Once considered a test player, he proved all his critics wrong with attacking style of play in the shorter formats of the game as well. He was conferred the Padma Bhushan last year.

#12 Harbhajan Singh - 9.06 Crore

Harbhajan Singh had a very good IPL this year after being part of a successful run last year helping Mumbai Indians win IPL and Champions League last year. Ashwin is the preferred off-spin bowler in the team at the moment. He holds endorsement deals with Reebok , Pepsi , Royal Stag.

#11 Jeev Milkha Singh - 9.06 Crore

Jeev Milkha Singh is struggling on the tour after mixed season last year. A biopic was made on his father Milkha Singh in 2013 which was a huge commercial success. He signed a lucrative deal with Volvo India last year.

#10 Saina Nehwal - 9.92 Crore

Saina Nehwal won the Australian Open Super series this year and missed the Commonwealth Games due to an injury. Although she lost in the quarters at the World Championships in Copenhagen, she is the favourite to win a medal at the Asian Games. Indian No. 1 endorses Herbalife, Top Ramen Noodles, Fortune Cooking Oil, and Titan.

#9 Suresh Raina - 16.16 Crore

Raina is a regular in both the T20 and one-day teams for India. He plays at No. 3 for the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL and hasn’t missed a single game for the franchise since the last six years. He is the highest IPL scorer of all time. He is the brand ambassador for Adidas and Pepsi

#8 Ravindra Jadeja - 16.58 Crore

Ravindra Jadeja is an all-rounder in the Indian team and is known for his quickness in the field. He comes lower down the order and can up the strike rate in a jiffy. He plays the role of a finisher for his franchise Chennai Super Kings as well.

#7 Rohit Sharma - 16.88 Crore

Rohit Sharma had a bad run overseas after his impressive debut against West Indies last year. He is currently nursing an injury that he sustained during the recent tour of England. He endorses Nike.

#6 Gautam Gambhir - 20.78 Crore

Gautam Gambhir led his team Kolkata Knight Riders to their second IPL title this year. He was also recalled to the test team for the England tour, but struggled to score runs in the series. He has endorsement deals with Reebok and Red Bull.

#5 Yuvraj Singh - 21.6 Crore

The left-hander has been in and out of the Indian team this year. He came back to form in the latter stages of the IPL for his team Royal Challengers Bangalore. He has signed deals with Puma and Royal Stag. The 2011 World Cup player of the tournament is hopeful of playing in the next World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

#4 Virender Sehwag - 25.64 Crore

Sehwag is currently part of the Kings XI franchise in the IPL. He helped the team finish second in this year’s edition. The Delhi lad is not part of the Indian team for a long time now and it remains to be seen if he can make a comeback to the side. He has signed deals with Hero Honda, J.K Cement, Fila, and Royal Challenge among others.

#3 Virat Kohli - 57.31 Crore

Virat Kohli had a disastrous tour of England where he managed to score just a single fifty. However, the skipper of the Royal Challengers Bangalore is sought after by many companies to endorse their products. He endorses Pepsi, Toyota, Fair and Lovely Men, Clinic All Clear and Adidas.

#2 Sachin Tendulkar - 94.32 Crore

The Indian batting legend has bid goodbye to the game, but his popularity with the masses will remain forever. The master blaster is the member of parliament in Rajya Sabha and is associated with the IPL team Mumbai Indians. He endorses Luminous Water Technologies, Toshiba, Reynolds, Coca Cola, Canon etc,.

#1 Mahendra Singh Dhoni - 155.32 Crore

The captain of the Indian cricket team in all formats of the game leads this list. He is known for having a calm and composed temperament on the field. Dhoni has not won a single test series abroad since the win in West Indies in 2011.

The Chennai Super Kings skipper in the IPL has led his franchise to semifinals or better in all editions of the IPL thus far. They won the title in 2010 and 2011.

Dhoni has won ICC T20 World Cup, 50 overs World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Dhoni currently endorses 21 brands including Exide, Pepsi, Aircel and Reebok.