What a year it has been for Indian captain Virat Kohli!
Not only did the Indian cricket captain recently marry his dream girl Anushka Sharma, but he has also just been revealed as India’s most valuable brand with a celebrity value of $143 million!
The cricketer has now toppled Bollywood King Shah Rukh Khan as the most valuable celebrity in the country. The right-hand batsman was measured at a brand value of USD 144 million by Duff & Phelps in its report, Rise of the Millennials: India’s Most Valueable Celebrity Brands. Kohli, who is the brand ambassador for 20 top labels by October 2017 including Puma, Manyavar, Gionee, Audi, etc., saw a jump of 56 percent in his brand value in 2017 from 2016.
“For the first time since 2014, Shah Rukh Khan has slipped from the top ranking and has been replaced by Virat Kohli. Kohli is now the first choice of brands to engage and attract consumers, fuelled by his extraordinary on field performances and off-field charisma,” said Varun Gupta, Duff & Phelps MD and regional leader, India, Japan and Southeast Asia.
Shah Rukh Khan, who is now placed at the 2nd position with a brand value of USD 106 million, saw a reduction of 20 percent in 2017 as compared to 2016.
The rise of Kohli’s value clearly signals the growing earning power of millennials such as Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, who are becoming increasingly sought after by big-budget brands.
Abhishek Ganguly, managing director of Puma India, which Kohli endorses, said, “Virat has transformed the way fitness is looked at in Indian cricket. He has emphasized the role of an athlete and reshaped cricket in the millennial culture. He is a youth icon with effortless style.” Kohli signed an eight-year deal with the brand early this year, making him the first Indian sportsperson to sign a Rs 100-crore endorsement deal with a single brand.
