What’s the story?
Indian captain Virat Kohli is in the midst of an extended purple patch, not only on the field but also off it. After having signed a mind-boggling 110 crore deal with Puma the brand value of Kohli has sky-rocketed to Rs 4 crore/day. This sudden boost in his brand value is an amalgamation of this prowess on the field where he is churning out Test centuries for fun and also the fact that he is now the captain of India across all three formats.
The Details...
Kohli is not only a passionate player on the field but is proving to be a suave businessman off it too. He is the endorser of as many as 17 brands and with his demeanour and panache has emerged to be one of the most sought-after youth icons in the country at the moment. The once in-your-face aggressive young brat, Kohli has eased down and is now well in control of his emotions which has made him a bigger brand. The brash young man has become a responsible leader of the team and this transformation has many takers at the moment.
Extra Cover: Virat Kohli is only second to Shah Rukh Khan in terms of brand value
In case you didn’t know...
Virat Kohli was always earmarked for greatness ever since he led the Indian U-19 to World Cup back in 2008. He was immediately roped into the Indian team but did not meet with immediate success. However, the team management decided to stick with him and soon the young man repaid all the faith with remarkable consistency in the Limited overs format. However, he was still struggling to get going in Test cricket but the then Indian captain MS Dhoni decided to back him and there was no looking back for the Delhi boy.
Endorsement followed and it was in 2014 when Kohli set the endorsement world on fire when he signed a Rs 10 crore per annum deal with German sports goods giant Adidas. Much like his career, his brand value was on the upward swing and in 2014, SportsPro rated him as the second most marketable athlete in the world behind only Lewis Hamilton, placing him above the likes of footballers Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi and Olympic Champion Usain Bolt.
What's next?
Kohli is racing ahead and there is hardly any competition as he has emerged a role model for young boys who are increasingly looking to emulate his lifestyle. Also, the young man is well aware that the shelf life of a cricketer is way shorter than the movie stars and thus he wants to make the most out of all the brand endorsements, but at the same time he wants to be selective in the types of brands he endorses as he is well aware of the repercussions his moves would have on the common folk in the country now.
Sportskeeda’s take
Kohli is the face of modern India where he is well aware that all of his movements would be under the scanner and he knows that any controversy is sure to grab eyeballs. However, he is unique in many ways as he has emerged as one of the modern day legends and with his demeanour, he could well go on to break all records. For the brand value to be in place, the performances need to be consistent and considering the hunger and immense promise of Kohli, the coming few years could well be historic in many sense.
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