The Celebrity 100 list by Forbes for 2019 is out. For the first time in eight years since the launch of the Indian list, there isn't a Bollywood superstar at the top position. It's Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli who has replaced actors in the pole position.
Kohli, 31, earned Rs 252.72 crore between October 1, 2018, and September 30, 2019, the time taken into consideration by Forbes. He earned it through match fees, BCCI central contract, brand endorsements and an eight-figure fee for every sponsored Instagram post.
There are other cricketers who made it to the top 50. Former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni occupied the fifth spot, cricketing legend Sachin Tendulkar was placed at number 9, even six years after his retirement. Rohit Sharma occupied the number 11 slot, Rishabh Pant was 30, Hardik Pandya 31, Jasprit Bumrah 33, KL Rahul 34 and Shikhar Dhawan at 35th spot.
Apart from the male cricketers, there are no sportspersons in the top 50 of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list. According to Forbes, the celebrity ranks are based on an aggregate of the estimated earnings and their calculated fame quotient, via print and social media reach.
Ace badminton player PV Sindhu made it to the lower half of the list at 63. Sindhu had made the country proud by winning the gold at the 2019 World Badminton Championships, becoming the first Indian to be a world badminton champion.
Former world number one shuttler and Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal occupies the 81 spot. Nehwal had won a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics.
Sunil Chhetri, the captain of the Indian football team and the face of the sport in India, is at 85. Six-time world boxing champion Mary Kom was only at 87 in the Forbes rankings. Kom won a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics and is arguably India's best boxer ever.
Mithali Raj, captain of the India women cricket team, was at the 88th position. Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur from the women cricket team also made it to the list with 90 and 91 rankings.
Wrestler Bajrang Punia occupied the 94 spot, while golfer Anirban Lahiri was placed at 95. Tennis star Rohan Bopanna occupied the 98th spot.
Like most years, this year too the Forbes Celebrity 100 list was dominated by Bollywood actors, directors and music composers.
