London: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan have joined India's top 20 Billionaire's Club, according to a new report.

The wealth of Tendulkar and Bachchan has been estimated at Rs two billion each, according to 'Success 2003', a report by Britain's Eastern Eye released on March 25 night.

Information Technology chiefs dominated the list, with Wipro chairman Azim Premji, whose wealth has been estimated at Rs 176 billion, heading it.

Shiv Nadar, chairman of HCL Technologies comes second with a wealth of Rs 69 billion, followed by Anil and Mukesh Ambani of Reliance. Their wealth has been put at Rs 50 billion.

Infosys chief N R Narayan Murthy comes fourth with wealth of Rs 47 billion. The Hinduja family is at the ninth position, with wealth of Rs 18 billion.

There are three women in India's top 20 – Thermax chief executive officer (CEO) Anu Aga, HSBC chairperson Naina Lal Kidwai and herbal 'czarina' Shahnaz Husain.

Tendulkar's rise from humble beginnings to where he is today was documented by the report.

"Tendulkar comes from a lower middle class Maharashtrian family, studied in a Marathi school and lived in a community 'chawl' in Bandra (East), a suburb in Mumbai," it said.

"Not only is Tendulkar talented on the field, he has also been smart off it," said advertising expert Prahlad Kakkar, who has directed several advertisements featuring the cricketer.

"Tendulkar has handled his advertising portfolio very smartly, in the process making himself one of the richest Indians around," Kakkar added.

The cricketer has now diversified into his other passion, food, starting his own restaurant called Tendulkar's in Mumbai. He plans to have a open a string of eateries, the report said.

According to it, Amitabh Bachchan's entry into the Billionaire Club has surprised everyone. Just five years ago, Bachchan was struggling under huge debt because of the colossal losses incurred by his company, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited (ABCL), in the entertainment industry.

A "hands-off owner", the superstar left the running of his dream venture in the hands of professional managers who ripped him off, the report said.

Even his bungalow in Juhu, 'Prateeksha', was sealed by the banks, to whom he owed money.

"From being in a debt trap, where I thought there is no way out, to being considered one of the richest men in India, it's been a long journey," Bachchan said.

"If this struggle has taught me the value of money, it has also taught me how even the best of friends desert you in extreme crisis, and how important family is," he said.

PTI