Indian Cricket Update- Cricket in India is nothing less than religion and the players are often worshipped as Gods. The market value of these international cricketing stars have only increased from strength to strength over the years and therefore some of the players have attracted top brands to come and show off their logo on the player’s bat in exchange of a huge sum of money.
If the player plays more consistently the sum increases overnight. The brand value of a player also increases when is scoring runs seamlessly. Here are the top five sponsorship deals in Indian cricket:-
Rohit Sharma (CEAT)
The India vice-captain has been in terrific form in the last few years and therefore he has attracted a lot of interest from top brands. His limited-overs batting is one bettered by Virat Kohli.
Therefore his association with tyre company CEAT ranges back to 2016. As per The Economic Times, the right-handed batsman gets a handsome paycheck of Rs. 3 Crore to display the CEAT logo on his bat. In 2018 the tyre company has extended its association with Hitman for another three years.
Shikhar Dhawan (MRF)
Just like his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan has shone in white-ball cricket for the Men in Blue and has deserved the amount of attention he has got. The fiery left-handed batsman is known for his blistering starts and with top performances in the ICC tournaments in recent past, he has cemented his position in the Indian limited-overs team.
Cashing in on his fame, MRF was quick to pounce on the southpaw and signed him in a 3cr deal. With the legendary MRF logo on his bat, Dhawan joins the elite company of Sachin Tendulkar, Steve Waugh, Brian Lara, AB De Villiers and Virat Kohli.
Yuvraj Singh (PUMA)
The former India lefty was one of a kind during his time at the national team. Yuvraj was explosive with the bat and economical with the ball. His all-round abilities on the field never went un-noticed as he garnered a lot of attention from the fans all over the world. His ability to fight even against cancer and resume his cricketing career is an inspirational story altogether.
But his performances in the big stage for India will always be remembered by the Indian cricket fans. Starting from the 2007 ICC Twenty20 World Cup to the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Yuvraj was at the peak of his game, especially in limited-overs.
Therefore all that fame was cashed in by PUMA in 2011. As per The Hindu Business Line, Yuvraj Singh entered into an agreement with the brand and he earned a massive sum of Rs. 4 crores annually to flaunt the PUMA emblem on his bat.
MS Dhoni (Spartan)
Next up is the Captain Cool of Indian cricket and the fanaticism that Dhoni. He has a huge fan following all over the world. His following can only be bettered by Sachin Tendulkar’s aura of pulling the crowd. The former India captain made the country believe that we can win the big trophies by defeating top teams in all different formats.
As per The Economic Times, the Indian skipper was signed by Spartan, an Australian brand, in 2013 for a whopping amount of Rs. 25 crores to sponsor the brand on his bat. The deal is said to be renewed in 2016 for another three years as the wicket-keeper batsman was pocketing Rs. 13 Crore i.e. 4.33 Crore annually.
Virat Kohli (MRF)
Currently, there isn’t any popular name in the sport of Cricket than the India captain Virat Kohli. The 31-year old batsman has turned into India’s hope mainly when they are chasing a big score. That is mainly in the limited-overs format. It is also when they need to post a big first inning total in Test matches.
Kohli burst onto the scene after winning the U-19 World Cup in 2008 as captain and since then he has taken a smooth flight into international cricket. His extraordinary run-scoring exploits are comparable to none as the India captain keeps on breaking records with every ton he scores.
Therefore MRF, India’s biggest tyre manufacturer was no time in getting his signature in the sponsorship deal. This will mean that the MRF moniker will be visible in Kohli’s bat. As per India Today, Kohli signed an unprecedented eight-year deal running from 2017 with MRF.
It was for a mind-baffling 100 Crores; which comes as 12.5 crores per annum. It is understood that MRF initially signed a deal with the RCB captain in 2015. This was for a three-year period and reportedly received 8 crores per annum. However, his rising fame internationally meant that they decided to splash more money on his table.
