Indian cricketers are certainly on a roll. They are not just turning on the cricket grounds with their great play but are also smashing the TV screens with their charm and pleasing personality. The cool captain MS Dhoni is one of the highest paid brand endorsers in the country
If we talk about on field endorsing and advertising, Virat Kohli is leading all the ways. Where on one hand ODI and T20 captain MS Dhoni is paid Rs 6 crore to flash a ‘Spartan’ sticker on his bat while he plays on the field, Virat Kohli, the stunning player gets a whooping amount of Rs 8 crore for flashing the MRF sticker on his bat. Along with this he is also paid approx Rs 2 crore for endorsing apparels and shoes of the various brands on field.
But Dhoni is way ahead when it comes to off field advertisements and endorsing. Dhoni is paid Rs 8 crore annually for TV advertisements and Virat Kohli is paid only Rs 5 crore. Appreciating their effect on the common mass, CEO of a popular sports brand said, “Dhoni, Yuvraj and Kohli are the players who can get merchandise to move off the shelves.”
MD of Head Cricket India, Mr. Rajesh Nagpal said, “We have launched around 250 retail points in the country for our cricket equipment. Although we haven’t signed any Indian players yet, India is a huge market and we expect the buzz around T20 to provide traction to our cricket gear which is a new category for us.”
Following Dhoni, Yuvraj and Kohli are Suresh Raina and Rohit Sharma who are paid Rs 3 crore each for endorsing ‘Ceat’ stickers on their bats. Also Shikhar Dhawan who endorses MRF on his bat is paid around Rs 3 crore.
A senior executive from a leading sports brand said, “Indian players are paid much more than their foreign counterparts because cricket is the most followed sport in the country. However, international stars such as AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle who have a large fan following here, demand big money too.”
