Fame has a price: Shastri highlights cricketers' loss of privacy amidst ₹100 crore endorsement deals

Former India coach Ravi Shastri has pulled back the curtain on the unseen cost of superstardom for India’s cricketing legends. On the ‘Stick to Cricket’ podcast, he spoke not only of the staggering earnings—₹100 crore or more annually for the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Sachin Tendulkar—but also the personal toll this success brings.

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Shastri explained that these players, especially in their prime, juggled 15–20 brand endorsements in a single day. With cricket schedules packed year-round, the commercial commitments left little time for themselves, let alone family or solitude. “They earn big, but they lose bigger in terms of privacy,” was the underlying message.

This high level of visibility translates into intense public scrutiny. Shastri described a life where every move, success, or misstep is dissected, both by fans and critics. The wealth and adulation come with the burden of constantly meeting sky-high expectations. A single dip in form can erase years of goodwill.

Shastri credited the commercial explosion to key moments in Indian cricket—1983’s World Cup win and the launch of the IPL. But with immense financial rewards has come a new kind of stress: no personal space and a short public memory.