Not Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, but former first-class player is India’s richest cricketer

It won’t be wrong to say that cricket is the second-most followed sport in the world after football, which is also the biggest reason behind many cricketers’ massive net worth. Virat Kohli, a former captain of India, recently made a lot of headlines when his net worth surpassed a whopping amount of INR 1,000 crore. One may argue that Kohli is the world’s richest active cricketer at the moment.

However, that not’s true, even if we combine the net worth of legendary cricketers like MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar and Kohli, it won’t be enough to match the net worth of this former first-class cricketer from Baroda. Samarjithsinh Gaekwad is the richest Indian cricketer with a net worth of around INR 20,000 crores. Baroda has produced many great cricketers like Irfan Pathan, Hardik Pandya and many more but it is also the home for the richest Indian cricketer.

Samarjitsinh, a former first-class cricketer, was born on April 25, 1967. He is the only child of Ranjitsinh Pratapsinh Gaekwad and Shubhanginiraje. Samarjitsinh completed his education at The Doon School in Dehradun, and in May 2012, following the passing of his father, he was crowned Maharaja.

Samarnitsinh’s short cricket career

On June 22, 2012, a formal ceremony took place at Laxmi Vilas Palace (the largest residence in the world). Then in 2013, he and his uncle Sangramsinh Gaekwad were able to settle a long-running inheritance dispute, which led to Samarjitsinh becoming the sole owner of Laxmi Vilas Palace. Samarjitsinh had a short cricketing career and played as a top-order batter for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and six first-class games. 

Samarjitsinh also served as the leader of the Baroda Cricket Association. Samarjitsinh was a dedicated cricketer who played for Baroda in the Ranji Trophy and appeared in six first-class matches as a top-order batsman. Later, he presided over the Baroda Cricket Association. In addition to his love of cricket, Samarjitsinh has created a 10-hole golf course and clubhouse inside the Laxmi Vilas Palace complex.