Virat Kohli has emerged as the highest earner in the 18-year-old IPL’s history, grossing Rs. 230 crore from his association with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, according to a report published yesterday.

The combined valuation of all 10 Indian Premier League franchises stands at Rs. 1.63 lakh crore, the report by Fanatic Sports and Hurun has said.

According to a PTI report from Mumbai yesterday, the Shah Rukh Khan-owned Kolkata Knight Riders leads with a valuation of over Rs. 19,200 crore, followed by the Ambanis-owned Mumbai Indians at Rs. 18,400 crore and Chennai Super Kings at Rs. 18,400 crore, the report said.

Interestingly, the average valuation of an IPL team is projected to jump to $15 billion by 2032 from the present $1.8 billion, the report, which comes amid a heightened interest in deal-making among franchisees, said.

“India is standing at the base of that curve right now. Talent is being manufactured at the grassroots. Capital is arriving at the top. A billion-plus consumers are about to have the income to participate in between,” Hurun India’s Founder and Chief Researcher Anas Rahman Junaid said.

Rohit Sharma with earnings of Rs. 227.2 crore and MS Dhoni at Rs. 200 crore follow Kohli in all-time IPL earnings, the report said.

In contrast, among women cricketers, Smriti Mandhana tops the Women’s Premier League with cumulative earnings at Rs. 13.7 crore till now, and the top-10 women players have earned just Rs. 90 crore till now.

In the case of hockey, the country’s national sport, the contrasts are even starker.

Defender Harmanpreet Singh commands the highest salary in the Hockey India League with a salary of Rs. 78 lakh, followed by the Rs. 72 lakh grossed by Abhishek Nain, a forward, and Rs. 70 lakh by midfielder Hardik Singh, the report said.

Hockey, however, scores on delivering young talent with players such as 14-year-old Ketan Kushwaha and two 15-year-olds, Purti Ashish Tani and Rahul Yadav, the report said.

Looked at from a geographical perspective, the sport which has won India big laurels in the Olympics, also wins from a grassroot relevance perspective, the report said, pointing out how a single town in Odisha (Sundargarh) contributes 12 athletes in the list.

The overall list tracks 1,323 elite athletes from 504 cities, 181 States/provinces, and 53 countries across 59 teams in six leagues across sports.