With deals worth Rs 17cr a year, Kohli beats Dhoni and Sachin in endorsements

September 27, 2013

Kohli_beats_DhoniMumbai, Sep 27: India's hottest young cricketer Virat Kohli is setting the world of brand endorsements alight. The Indian captain-in-the-making, whose exploits on the field, combined with his youth, good looks and never-say-die attitude, makes him a winner off the field too, has inked a Rs 10-crore per annum deal with German sports goods giant Adidas.

The three-year contract, perhaps the most lucrative to be signed by an Indian sports star, will see the swashbuckling right-hand batsman endorsing the brand's apparel and shoes.

The Delhi lad has also struck a Rs 6.5 crore a year deal with a tyre brand that had master batsmen Sachin Tendulkar and Steve Waugh as its ambassadors, a person familiar with the development revealed.

The two deals will see Kohli topping the likes of Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tendulkar in terms of annual earnings per brand endorsement.

Kohli, who turns 25 later this year, pocketed around Rs 40 crore from endorsements last year, but that sum may swell up substantially with these two deals in his kit bag. Currently, he lends his face to as many as 13 brands, including Pepsi, Toyota and Cinthol deodorants.

When contacted by TOI, an Adidas spokesperson declined to comment on the development. Tendulkar, who is Adidas' current brand ambassador, is perhaps at the fag end of his illustrious career.

And Kohli fits the bill perfectly as he is being groomed to take over the top job from Dhoni after the 2015 ICC World Cup, an executive from a sports management firm, who did not want to be named, said.

Bunty Sajdeh-led Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment manages the Indian vice-captain's endorsement contracts. Sajdeh was unavailable for comment.

Kohli's annual endorsement fee has seen a meteoric rise over the past year, rivalling the likes of Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor, the hottest brand ambassador in the film industry. Till last year, the cricket star used to command Rs 3 crore per brand annually, which went up to Rs 6 crore.

The Rs 10-crore a year deal with Adidas propels him to a different league altogether. "For the past few years, Dhoni has been ruling the endorsement space, but Kohli is catching up very fast. While Dhoni connected well with the masses, Kohli has a more urban appeal which a lot of brands want to cash in on," said Indranil Das Blah, COO of celebrity management firm CAA Kwan.

The price escalation in Kohli's endorsement contracts has meant that a lot of brands which had signed him early on must shell out much more to renew their deals or simply end their association with him.

"We are willing to pay a premium, depending on what that number is. He has been a great fit for our brand which targets youngsters, and he has grown with us," said J Suresh, MD and CEO, Arvind Lifestyle and Brands which has had the cricketer on board for three years as Flying Machine's brand ambassador.

The jeans-wear brand signed Kohli before the World Cup at a moderate price and its contract is up for renewal. With Rs 10 crore becoming the new benchmark, many brands will find it hard to match up to Brand Kohli's price tag.

Until recently, Kohli and Nike were in a five-year contract inked in 2008. However, things turned sour between the two sides when the US sports goods major went to court claiming Kohli had breached the contract by disagreeing to continue as its brand ambassador till 2014. But the Karnataka high court ruled in favour of the cricketer, allowing him to sign endorsement deals with other sports brands.

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News Network
June 13,2020

Islamabad, Jun 13: Pakistan cricket team’s former captain Shahid Afridi, who has tested positive for coronavirus,  appears to have contracted the virus during his recent visit to Muzaffarabad city of Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) where Pakistan has been sending its corona positive patients.

The former Pakistan cricketer was seen attending gatherings in Muzaffarabad last month without wearing a mask and not maintaining social distancing. He spewed venom against India during his rallies. 

Afridi visited PoK to also express his solidarity with the people there who have been left to fend for themselves in combating COVID-19 as Pakistan has refused to provide any COVID fighting equipment like PPE kits and ventilators to the area’s handful of hospitals. 

In fact, Pakistan has been using the PoK as a “dumping ground” for COVID-19 affected persons from all across the country as authorities want to keep Punjab province free of corona positive persons. 

The locals held massive protests against Pakistan for setting up quarantine centres and shifting patients from parts of Pakistan to PoK. 

People are immensely suffering in Pakistan occupied Kashmir due to spread of coronavirus as the region lacks proper medical facilities and has a handful of COVID-19 testing labs. There is also lack of expert medical staff to conduct COVID-19 tests. 

A large number of people here are presumed asymptomatic and they are fast spreading the virus because of lack of medical care. 

Pakistan has reported over 1,25,000 coronavirus cases and 2,463 casualties. In Pakistan occupied Kashmir, the COVID-19 cases have increased to 534, whereas in Gilgit-Baltistan 1,030 have been  reported. 

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Agencies
August 5,2020

New Delhi, Aug 5: Indian cricketers Suresh Raina and Harmanpreet Kaur were on Wednesday appointed as the global brand ambassadors of the WTF Sports.

Raina is also joining the brand as a Strategic Partner. WTF Sports, a fantasy sports gaming platform, was today formally launched in India and globally.

The announcement was made through a web conference with prominent cricket host, Vikram Sathaye moderating and hosting the webinar and Vinit Bhatia, Manit Parikh and Yash Kadakia Co-Founders - India and Global, WTF Sports introducing the cricketers as the Global Brand Ambassadors.

Kaur said it was a perfect fit for her and she can use her strategy and experience while playing.
"WTF Sports was the perfect fit with me, I can use strategy and my experience while playing, I've actually learnt to strategize better as I've played along. Additionally, when we were under lockdown and I couldn't really practice, it was fun to come on the platform and feel like I'm still playing," Kaur said in a statement.

On the other hand, Raina said, "It is exciting to be a part of a fantasy sports platform like WTF Sports not just as an ambassador but also as the strategic partner, it is everything that I embody and what I believe in, it's fierce, fun and competitive."

The app currently hosts three major sports, multiple playing modes, and exciting contests, ensuring that sports fans can get more skillful by letting them strategize and use their sports knowledge into rewarding behaviour.

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News Network
May 13,2020

May 13: With the Olympics postponed due to the coronavirus, top Japanese fencer Ryo Miyake has swapped his metal mask and foil for a bike and backpack as a Tokyo UberEats deliveryman.

The 29-year-old, who won silver in the team foil at the 2012 London Olympics and was itching to compete in a home Games, says the job keeps him in shape physically and mentally -- and brings in much-needed cash.

"I started this for two reasons -- to save money for travelling (to future competitions) and to keep myself in physical shape," he told AFP.

"I see how much I am earning on the phone, but the number is not just money for me. It's a score to keep me going."

Japanese media have depicted Miyake as a poor amateur struggling to make ends meet but he himself asked for his three corporate sponsorships to be put on hold -- even if that means living off savings.

Like most of the world's top athletes, he is in limbo as the virus forces competitions to be cancelled and plays havoc with training schedules.

"I don't know when I can resume training or when the next tournament will take place. I don't even know if I can keep up my mental condition or motivation for another year," he said.

"No one knows how the qualification process will go. Pretending everything is OK for the competition is simply irresponsible."

In the meantime, he is happy criss-crossing the vast Japanese capital with bike and smartphone, joining a growing legion of Uber delivery staff in demand during the pandemic.

"When I get orders in the hilly Akasaka, Roppongi (downtown) district, it becomes good training," he smiles.

The unprecedented postponement of the Olympics hit Miyake hard, as he was enjoying a purple patch in his career.

After missing out on the Rio 2016 Olympics, Miyake came 13th in last year's World Fencing Championships -- the highest-ranked Japanese fencer at the competition.

The International Olympics Committee has set the new date for the Olympics on July 23, 2021.

But with no vaccine available for the coronavirus that has killed nearly 300,000 worldwide, even that hangs in the balance.

Miyake said the Japanese fencing team heard about the postponement the day after arriving in the United States for one of the final Olympic qualifying events.

With his diary suddenly free of training and competition, he said he spent the month of April agonising over what to do before hitting on the Uber idea.

"Sports and culture inevitably come second when people have to survive a crisis," he said.

"Is the Olympics really needed in the first place? Then what do I live for if not for the sport? That is what I kept thinking."

However, the new and temporary career delivering food in Tokyo has given the fencer a new drive to succeed.

"The most immediate objective for me is to be able to start training smoothly" once the emergency is lifted, he said.

"I need to be ready physically and financially for the moment. That is my biggest mission now."

But not all athletes may cope mentally with surviving another "nerve-wracking" pre-Olympic year, he said.

"It's like finally getting to the end of a 42-kilometre marathon and then being told you have to keep going."

As a child, Miyake practised his attacks on every wall of his house -- and he said his passion for the sport was what was driving him now.

"I love fencing. I want to be able to travel for matches and compete in the Olympics. That is the only reason I am doing this."

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