If you were to Google the richest cricketers in the world, you would notice that many of them are Indian cricketers. It is no secret that cricket is a religion in India and popular players have been able to capitalize on the craze and get themselves endorsement deals with all kinds of brands and companies that have made them significantly richer.
Not to mention, the Indian Premier League has really revolutionized not only the format, intensity and entertainment factor of the sport but has also boosted the income of participating players and owners by huge margins. Therefore, it is no surprise to see the list of the richest cricketers being dominated by Indian players.
However, amongst the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kolhi also lurks the Australian leg spinner, Shane Warne. Other non-Indian cricketers to feature as some of the richest cricketers in the world include South Africa’s Jacques Kallis, and Australia’s Ricky Ponting. So, how did these blokes make their millions?
Unlike in other sports during Covid-19 pandemic, where many players’ bottom line was affected, the top cricket players seemed to sail through. Let’s take a closer look at Shane Warne, his net worth and the various deals and contracts he is publicly a part of.
Net Worth and Sources of Income
Shane Warne is estimated to have a net worth of over $50 million. If you happen to be a fan of his, you will know that he is widely regarded as one of the best spin bowlers to ever grace the cricket field. In fact, he is second only to Sri Lanka’s Muttiah Muralitharan when it comes to the number of wickets taken in test matches.
Warne was one of the key members of the 1999 World Cup-winning Australian squad. However, he retired from international cricket over two decades ago in 2007 and he retired from T20 cricket back in 2013. So, how does the money keep coming in?
Well, Warne is a jack of many trades and he evidently knows how to spin more than a cricket ball. Even though a good portion of his $50 million net worth is courtesy of Cricket Australia (for being a former Australian international), Warne has roped in millions of dollars through various brand endorsements, business ventures and also from being one of the co-owners of the Indian Premier League team, Rajasthan Royals.
Income From Endorsement Deals
Apart from multiple brand endorsements, Warne has also become a cricket commentator (for Sky Sports) and does a stellar job at it. Furthermore, Shane Warne is also a professional poker player, and we all know how much money poker players can make on good days. More recently, Shane Warne has launched his own fragrance called the SW23 (The Debut Fragrance). He also has his own gin brand 708gin. His gin brand got a lot of positive attention during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic when it halted all gin production and produced hand sanitizers to meet the enormous demand in the market, and they supplied 70% alcohol hand sanitizer to two nominated Australian hospitals at the most affordable rates.
Some other noteworthy endorsements of Warne include a multi-year sponsorship deal with text messaging service ‘Messages on Hold’ and a deal with hair-loss treatment company ‘Advanced Hair’ to promote their products. He is the spokesperson of Victoria Bitter since 2007 and started an underwear line called Spinners in 2009. Warne also signed a deal with 888Poker and 888Casino that we will take a closer look at.
Shane Warne’s Endorsement with 888Poker
Warne was also the official ambassador of online casino brand 888 as part of 888Poker for several years. Being a professional poker player known for his tournament playing skills and prowess, Warne represented 888 in poker tournaments all around the world since 2008 and was key in promoting the brand in huge markets such as Asia and the Pacific’s.
In his Poker career, Warne has cashed in nearly $72,000 so far. The highlight of his Poker playing days was securing 3rd place in a high–stakes event in 2010 which bagged him $35,899, his biggest win yet.
Shane Warne’s Autobiography
In 2018, Warne released his autobiography – ‘No Spin’. Starting from the beginning of his illustrious career in 1992, all the way till his official retirement from all formats of the game in 2013, the book addressed everything in detail.
The book has sold hundreds of thousands of copies all over the world in paperback and Kindle format. There is no clear estimate of how much money the book could have fetched the author. But it is safe to say it added a significant lump sum to his ever-growing fortune.
Philanthropy
As is now evident, Shane Warne has his fingers in many pies when it comes to endorsements, investments and money. With various sources of income and a net worth, it may become easy to forget that he also has a generous side.
Since his retirement, Shane Warne has dedicated a lot of time and effort towards the Shane Warne Foundation. The foundation is all about helping seriously ill and underprivileged children. Since its launch in 2004, The Shane Warne Foundation raised over £400,000 for its cause through various fundraising. He managed from events such as charity poker tournaments and even a charity breakfast. Unfortunately, after having run at a financial loss for four out of its five years, the charity closed in 2017.
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