It is no secret that cricket is the most loved sport in India and also the most profitable. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) earned over Rs 43,000 crore by selling the media rights of the Indian Premier League (IPL) tournament. It is no secret that the likes of Virat Kohli, former Indian captain MS Dhoni and India’s legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar all have a net worth of over Rs 1,000 crore.
However, the net worth of Kohli, Dhoni and Tendulkar pales in comparison to the almost unknown first-class cricketer from Baroda State. A state that has given birth to former India cricketers like Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan, it is home to India’s richest Indian cricketer – Samarjitsinh Ranjitsinh Gaekwad, who has a net worth of over Rs 20,000 crore.
He is the only son of Ranjitsinh Pratapsinh Gaekwad and Shubhangini Raje. Samarjitsingh made six first-class appearances for Baroda between the 1987–88 and 1988–89 seasons. He also became a cricket administrator after his retirement and served as the President of the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA).
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Samarjitsinh Gaekwad became one of the world’s richest cricketers overnight after the Baroda-based Gaekwad settled a 23-year-old inheritance dispute in 2013 for over £3 billion, or about Rs 20,000 crore. The Maharaja of Baroda was once the ruler of one of India’s most powerful princely states, with his own army and navy, which he controlled from Lakshmi Vilas Palace, a grand estate four times the size of Buckingham Palace and covering 600 acres. It was spread. Also with its own golf course.
It comes as no surprise that Samarjeet Singh is also a very accomplished golfer. However, the property, worth an estimated £3 billion, was in dispute shortly after the death of Maharaja Fateh Singhrao Gaekwad in 1988. His younger brother Ranjitsingh succeeded him but another brother Sangramsingh said that family tradition meant that he was entitled to half the property.
UK’s The Telegraph newspaper reported, “He was disowned by his mother after launching legal action, but Ranjatsinh’s successor Maharaja Samarjitsinh Gaekwad began talks shortly after his coronation last year to resolve the 23-year dispute.” Was.”
Under the agreement, Maharaja Samarjitsinh Gaekwad retained the Lakshmi Vilas Palace and much of the property, including most of its jewelery and a collection of valuable paintings by 19th-century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma.
His uncle Sangramsinh Gaekwad, who lives in Mumbai, was given the Nazarbagh Palace in Baroda, several bungalows and plots of land in the city, a house in Mumbai and control of family investments and textile companies. Over 20 other relatives, including five sisters of the late Ranjit Singh, got their share of jewellery, artefacts and other valuables.
Samarjitsinh Gaekwad is married to Radhikaraje.
Since 2002, Samarjitsinh Gaekwad is married to Radhikaraje, a lady from the royal family of Wankaner State, and the couple has two daughters. Samarjeet Singh along with his family Shubhangiraje is the present resident of Lakshmi Vilas Palace in Baroda.
Radhikaraje Gaikwad is a former journalist who also briefly worked for the Indian Express newspaper, where she worked for three years before her marriage. He also has a verified Instagram account with more than 1.34 lakh followers.
What is the net worth of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar?
Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar may have retired from cricket more than a decade ago, but according to reports, his net worth is more than Rs 1,300 crore. According to the Economic Times newspaper, Tendulkar has considerable business interests and is expected to earn around Rs 50 crore in 2022 from his investments and endorsements.
According to reports, the net worth of Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni is around Rs 1,050 crore. Dhoni has recently launched a new Tamil film – LGM (Let’s Get Married) under the banner of his company ‘Dhoni Entertainment’. Dhoni is also the highest advance tax payer from the state of Jharkhand last year.
Kohli also has a net worth of around Rs 1,040 crore, earning around Rs 15 crore from the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise in the IPL. Kohli gets Rs 15 lakh per Test match, Rs 6 lakh for each ODI and Rs 3 lakh for playing a T20 match. Remember, Kohli has an ‘A+’ contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which fetches him Rs 7 crore per annum.