God Of Good Life: How Sachin Is Minting His Millions And Spending Them

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What’s Sachin worth – three times more than Dhoni

What’s Sachin worth – three times more than Dhoni

Tendulkar is India’s richest cricketer with a personal fortune of $160 million, a Wealth-X estimate says. If that sounds like a no-brainer, here’s another bouncer from the wealth intelligence company. The Little Master has reportedly amassed a fortune that goes far beyond the combined net worth of 4 other Indian cricketers also on the affluence list. And he is three times the net worth of the next wealthiest player, Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Dhoni is worth $50 million, followed by Yuvraj Singh ($30 million), Rahul Dravid ($20 million) and Indian vice-captain Virat Kohli ($15 million).

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The IPL icon

The IPL icon

After 6 seasons of great gamesmanship, fabulous money-churning and some roaring controversies, The Indian Premier League has a doubtful future in the coming year. And we are glad that Sachin has announced a ‘well-timed’ retirement from the Twenty20 event after his team Mumbai Indians won the championship earlier this year. Sadly, he was not in that final against Chennai Super Kings due to a left-hand injury. But the cricket legend had had his share of booty all along. From Day I, he had enjoyed an ‘icon player’ status, which means he had been never auctioned and received 15% more money than the highest paid player of the team bought in an auction. Now, that’s some solid cash.

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Brand Sachin still on million-dollar turf

Brand Sachin still on million-dollar turf

He may not be the youth icon any more, but he is the happiness and integrity ambassador whom Indians have come to trust. Given his iconic status, Sachin will still be advertisers’ darling post retirement (at least the brand pundits predict so), but some ‘image change’ could be on the cards. Till date, he has endorsed over 50 brands and raked in over Rs 500 crore in endorsement fees. Forbes puts it at $18 million for 2012-2013 while his earnings from cricket stand at $4 million. Sachin is currently associated with 16-17 brands and World Sport Group, the agency handling his endorsements since 2006, says it has factored in his retirement plans in those deals.

Sachin, the restaurateur, back in business?

Sachin, the restaurateur, back in business?

Too many cricketers have dabbled in the hospitality business and Sachin is no exception. Back in 2002-2004, he had launched two restaurants in Mumbai – the upscale, multi-cuisine Tendulkar’s in Colaba and the casual sports café Sachin’s in Mulund – in partnership with Sanjay Narang of Mars Hotels group. Sachin’s also made its way to Bangalore. But the initial buzz petered out and the establishments had to be closed down. The restaurant business has been back in focus since last year and Sachin is reportedly looking for new partners and new locations to make his eateries a success.

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Sach is flourishing at Future Group

Sach is flourishing at Future Group

Sachin’s deal with the Future Group has paid off well and the latter forayed into oral care in 2009 with its private label – the Sach brand. Sach stands for Sachin Tendulkar, who is also a director of the group’s subsidiary Future Consumer Products Ltd. FCPL has co-created the range of products including toothpastes and toothbrushes, and more categories are expected to be launched under the same brand. Plus, here’s another piece of good news. Future Brands’ MD and CEO Santosh Desai recently said that the group’s association with Sachin would continue post his retirement.

Image: Future Group

What wealth can buy – a dream home in Bandra

What wealth can buy – a dream home in Bandra

A stroll outside 19-A Perry Cross Road won’t be a bad idea if you want to experience opulence. Not quite the Antilla, Mukesh Ambani’s luxury home, but Sachin’s five-storey bungalow, spread over 6,000 sq. ft., has everything the heart desires. Sachin bought the pre-Independence Dorab Villa for Rs 39 crore and the new construction cost him Rs 40-45 crore. Sachin also bought an insurance cover worth Rs 100 crore for his new home. In stark contrast, Bradman owned nothing more than a quaint red-brick house at 2 Holden Street in the Adelaide suburb of Kensington.

Image: Bornrich.com

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What’s brewing at Bandra house?

What’s brewing at Bandra house?

Plenty, if you ask us. For one, Sachin had been (reportedly) fined a whopping Rs 4.35 lakh by the Mumbai civic body when he moved into his new home and performed ‘vastu puja’ without an Occupancy Certificate. Some politicians went into overdrive to get a waiver for the Little Master but he paid, nonetheless. But that couldn’t douse the controversies. When RTI activist Anil Galgali wanted to know the exact amount of the fine paid, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said that the cricketer had objected to furnishing details. Why so, one just wonders. An official fine is public money, after all, and is totally within the RTI jurisdiction.

Image: Zimbio.com

The legend who sold his Ferrari (that he got as a gift)!

The legend who sold his Ferrari (that he got as a gift)!

It angered all when Sachin sold the two-seater sports car that he got as a gift and for which he paid no tax. Fiat, the Italian owner of Ferrari, gifted him a 360 Modena after he equalled Bradman’s feat of 29 Test centuries. To mark this special occasion, Formula One legend Michael Schumacher handed him the car and the Indian government also waived the import duty of Rs 1.13 crore. But at that time, duty could be waived only when one got a car as a prize. A PIL was filed and Fiat finally agreed to foot the bill. The cricketer later sold the supercar to Surat businessman Jayesh Desai. Interestingly, Sachin became the brand ambassador of BMW India in 2012 – so selling the Ferrari, a rival brand, could be a strategic move.

Image: Motorbeam.com

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More opulence – the hot wheels Sachin owns

More opulence – the hot wheels Sachin owns

This cricket icon can’t stop falling in love – with luxury vehicles and sports cars. Among the powerhouses, you will find a Nissan GT-R, which was air-freighted from Japan and came with a hefty price tag of Rs. 2.5 crore; a few icons from the Merc family including Mercedes-Benz C36, Mercedes 600SL and Mercedes Benz E-63; a Porsche Boxster; a BMW 7 Series sedan; a Volvo S80; an Opel Astra and a Yamaha FZ 16. His first car? A Maruti 800, followed by a second-hand BMW 320i, which he got at the age of 20.

Image: Indiatimes.com

Watch this wow watch that Sachin wears

Watch this wow watch that Sachin wears

For the cricketer, it is a fashion statement – so nothing short of classy and expensive will do. The Little Master has a passion for glam gadgets and Audemars Piguet, the last family-owned Swiss manufacturer from the Vallée de Joux region, has come up with a limited edition with ‘Sachin’ as its theme. As the brand ambassador, Sachin gets a royalty and also sports his favourite Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Offshore Self-winding Tourbillon that costs Rs 1.2 crore. Well, that’s certainly a lot less expensive than a Ferrari.

Image: www.audemarspiguet.com

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Stumped… but only on the silver screen

Stumped… but only on the silver screen

Not all of them do it like Salim Durani or Sandeep Patil, but one or the other had always taken to the movies with élan and enthusiasm (yes, even the great Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar). Sachin made a guest appearance though (as himself), in the Bollywood flick Stumped (2003), written and directed by Gaurav Pandey and produced by Raveena Tandon. He also appeared in an Australian reality TV series called An Aussie Goes Bolly (2008). A year earlier, Virgin Comics created a new superhero called Master Blaster based on Sachin to launch a new series of comic books. We still don’t know whether the cricketer managed to make some money from his one-off Bollywood bash. But we would surely love to see more of him on the silver screen.

Image: Wikipedia

The country’s bounty

The country’s bounty

There’s another way to laud the lifetime performance of this cricketing god and Team India off the field is doing just that. The Mumbai Cricket Association has renamed its sporting facility in Kandivali as Sachin Tendulkar Gymkhana Club. The Kerala Cricket Association has also decided to name a pavilion after him at the state’s one and only cricket stadium in Kochi. Not to be outdone, Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association says it will be naming a cricket museum after him. Interestingly, a road named after Sachin Tendulkar is already there in Gwalior. We appreciate the fanfare, but the most worthy gift from the country should be a sporting infrastructure that can nurture young talents.

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How much for a good cause?

How much for a good cause?

Sachin loves social work – so it’s not surprising he wants to spend more time doing just that after his retirement. He is already sponsoring 200 underprivileged children through a Mumbai-based NGO called Apnalaya and also supports other NGOs fighting killer diseases like cancer, polio and AIDS. A couple of years ago, the cricketer helped raise Rs 7 crore for Coca-Cola-NDTV’s Assist My School telethon by answering questions from school children on the nuances of cricket. Any guess at how much he spends on charities?

Final shot: Who will benefit on D-day?

Final shot: Who will benefit on D-day?

Sachin’s last Test is not an unofficial testimonial match, neither will the proceeds go to charity. It means the Indian cricket board is out to get the last penny it can, from devoted fans. Although Wankhede seats 32,000, only 5,000-6,000 tickets (costing Rs 500-2,000 each) have been sold to the public and black-marketing cannot be ruled out. Also, rumours are rife that punters all over the world have betted it big on this one man and as much as Rs 2,000 crore will be at stake when Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar walks out to bat in Mumbai. Big money, once again, but then, this Little Master has always lived life king-size.

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