Cricket as a sport in India commands an unrivaled attention almost bordering on zealous love.  It is often compared as a religion and the cricketers often metaphorically referred to as gods.  No other sport comes close to the kind of coverage cricket has in India and it is easy to find small cricket matches going on in the dusty lanes which brings together people of all ages.  The sport brings together people regardless of their circumstances.  

India always produced some outstanding cricketers and boasts about names like Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly, M.S. Dhoni and Virat Kohli to name a few.  While these cricketers are legends in their own rights at the game of cricket, they have conquered the 22 yards pitch, not many might know they are equally able entrepreneurs.

Let us have a look at five cricketers who are also entrepreneurs.

1) Sachin Tendulkar

Often referred to as the ‘God Of Cricket,’ Sachin Tendulkar is arguably the best batsman of this generation, to have walked on this planet.  While Sachin had conquered many records on the field, he has also established a career outside of cricket since his retirement from the game.  Sachin has investments in several brands and is one of the main investors in Smartron, a technology based company.  His other investments include brands like Musafir, Smaaash Entertainment, and owns a string of restaurants to his name. Sachin is also the co owner of Kochi Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Kerala Blasters FC.

2) M.S. Dhoni

Mahendra Singh Dhoni or ‘Captain Cool’ as he is referred to by his fans, Dhoni is responsible for winning the Cricket World Cups in both the fifty overs and T20 formats.  Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped into the world of business, by buying a Supersport World Championship team, Mahi Racing Team India, which is co owned by Akkineni Nagarjuna.  Dhoni is also the co owner of Chennaiyin FC with Abhishek Bachchan in ISL and also owns Ranchi Rays in Hockey India League with Sahara India Pariwar.  Dhoni also launched a lifestyle brand, ZEVEN, and owns the footwear section of the Brand. Recently, he joined hands with the app Run Adams by buying 25% stake in the startup.  

3) Virat kohli

Virat Kohli is the current captain of the Indian Cricket Team and is one of the best players of the current generation.  Virat is also one of the world’s most famous sports persons along with the likes of Leo Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Roger Federer and LeBron James.  Virat is an astute businessman apart from being the captain of the cricket team.  His first business investment was for FC Goa in ISL, where he co owned the football team franchise with a vision to grow football in India.  He also launched the youth fashion brand Wrogn with Anjana Reddy to produce casual wear for Men and tied up with Myntra Fashion, as well as Shopper Stop to promote the brand.  Kohli also holds shares in the London based Tech Startup, Sport Convo, which is a social networking site for sports lovers to talk about their favourite stars.  His urge to make India fit, drove him to create the fitness brand Chisel, in association with Franchise India. Chisel is a chain of Gym and Fitness centres spread across various regions of the country.

4) Virender Sehwag

Often referred to as the ‘Nawab Of Najafgarh,’  Virender Sehwag was the bane of bowlers across the world because of his daredevil batting techniques.  Sehwag owns a restaurant in Delhi’s Moti Nagar since 2006 and is named as ‘Sehwag’s Favourites.’  He started a school, Sehwag International School in Jhajjar, Haryana.  It has world class facilities that aim at a 360 degree development of students.  They are rated as one of the best schools of India with a sports academy, where Sehwag coaches kids personally, during his off time.

5) Yuvraj Singh

Yuvraj Singh is best remembered for smashing six sixes in a single over against England and used to entertain fans thoroughly with his batting and fielding skills.  The former Indian cricketer, owns a sports based e commerce store sports365.in including investments in Vyomo, Moovo, Black With Orange, Cartisan, Heathians, Educart and Sportybeans.  Other than that, Yuvi has also started YouWeCan, a startup which has helped hundreds of cancer patients battle their ordeal. Yuvraj was himself a cancer survivor and beat the disease successfully in the past.  

These cricketers have won multiple accolades for India on the international stage and have also shined in their personal lives by setting examples.  Let us know if any other cricketers should also deserve a mention in this list!