Indian cricket great Virat Kohli is often referred to as one of the most influential names among sports personalities. Kohli, who enjoys wide-scale love and acceptance over social media platforms, has now set a new landmark in the virtual world of the web.
India‘s poster boy, Virat Kohli, celebrated his 37th birthday last year in November, as he has turned out to be one of the most recognizable athletes in the world. With a reported net worth of nearly 1050 crores, the former Indian captain has extended his aura beyond just the cricket field.
Alongside the money he receives from BCCI contracts and IPL paychecks from RCB, he also makes a huge amount of money from Instagram and X posts and brand endorsements, as well as luxury real estate investments. Alongside money, he has also grown in social stature over the years.
Virat Kohli finds a spot among the 5 most influential people on Social media
Virat Kohli, the 37-year-old Indian cricketer, has now given up on the game on a partial level. He has called it quits on his career in the longest and the shortest formats of the game, and only continues to play One-Day cricket for India.
Virat’s fandom was clearly seen when the Vijay Hazare Trophy, a domestic competition in India that has been played every year, got the spotlight after Kohli returned to feature in the tournament after a pause of 15 years.
Flexing his reach through social media platforms, Kohli has nearly 270 million followers and is among the highest-paid athletes through endorsements. In 2026, he was ranked among the top 5 most influential personalities on Instagram.
Virat Kohli has been ranked fourth in the list, which is topped by global Football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. While actress and singer Selena Gomez and American businesswoman and media personality Kylie Jenner have also been included in the top 5 list.
🚨 TOP 5 MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSON IN THE WORLD ON INSTAGRAM 🚨 [Hype Auditor]
1) Cristiano Ronaldo
2) Lionel Messi
3) Selena Gomez
4) Virat Kohli
5) Kylie Jenner pic.twitter.com/lxv0rdyGqb— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 16, 2026
A peek into Virat Kohli’s life as a Social media influencer
Virat Kohli reportedly earns a massive amount through the sponsored posts on social media platforms like Instagram and X (formerly known as Twitter). As per recent reports on the Hindustan Times, Kohli is paid near about INR 12-12.5 crores per Instagram post.
He currently stands among the global stars as one of the top 15 highest-paid athletes on Instagram. He is also known to make around INR 2.5 crores for every X post of his. Every big company is looking for endorsement with the Indian star.
Kohli to continue stardom with prolonged IPL career
Kohli resumed international cricket in 2025 with the series in Australia and then went on to return to India to feature against South Africa in a three-match One-Day series, where he amazed all with his breathtaking performance, having scored two centuries and a half-century.
Kohli won the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 18th edition of the competition. Kohli, alongside the Royal Challengers, would be defending the IPL title for the first time in 2026. He has shown no intention to retire and would continue to feature in the IPL in the coming years.
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