Cricket Endorsements : Bigger Money OffField

Our overly idolised cricket demigods are setting new records making money, cumulatively from salary and endorsement earnings. And their onfield performance does not seem to have any bearing on their brand status..

Venerated as the mortal gods of the cricketing game, they give unparalleled moments of joy and jubilation to the cricket frenzied nation. However, for the onerous responsibility they carry, our cricketers enjoy huge popularity as well as pay, more so for their promotional statements.

Our overly idolised cricket demigods are setting records on the money-making scale, cumulatively from salary and endorsement earnings. No matter what the outcome of the Indian cricket team in any championship or even the World Cup, their endorsing slogans are heard clear and loud.

The Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) annually pays every Indian cricket player for being on-the-field. They are divided into three categories, A, B and C. As per their player contracts for the year 2013, Indian cricketers in Group A get `1crore per annum; B(`50)lakhs and C (`25)lakhs The players in the playing eleven of the team also get an additional fee for Test match (`7)lakhs, ODIs(`4) lakhs and T20 internationals(`2)lakhs per match.

Salary apart, it is not an oddity anymore that cricketers come into their own off-the-field, hitting the big time as brand ambassadors. Sachin Tendulkar might have retired from cricket, but not from the action of endorsing. For that matter, even Virendra Sehwag and Rahul Dravid are still athletes in action. And Tendulkar has ruled the Indian advertising space for a long time and continues to do so even after retiring from international cricket. He takes home an estimated `100 crore per year.

Bigger Money OffField Our overly idolised cricket demigods are setting new records making money, cumulatively from salary and endorsement earnings. And their onfield performance does not seem to have any bearing on their brand status... By Joe Williams cricket endorsements 50 / Corporate Citizen / April 16-30, 2015All that glitters tadka is not gold CC Olympic gold medals are actually made of silver. In 1912, Olympic Games were the last to include gold medals actually made of solid gold. Today’s Olympic gold medals are made of 93% of silver and 6% of copper 1% of highly prized gold finished.

Yuvraj Singh, the blue-eyed boy of Indian cricket, well known for his performance and good looks makes a whopping Rs 18 cr from endorsement earnings. Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli earn close to Rs 20 cr & Rs 24 cr, respectively

MSD most preferred

However, it is skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni who leads the pack in endorsement earnings, roping in over `200 crores annually. Reportedly, he has signed a cool `200 crore deal with Rhiti Sports, a sports management firm based in Delhi. At present he endorses more than a dozen brands. Star Group’s Fox Star Studios and Inspired Entertainment, promoted by management agency Rhiti Sports, is producing a biopic on him. The co-producers are likely to make over `30 crore from brands endorsement.

India might have lost in the 2015 World Cup semi-final in Sydney, but brand MSD is likely to remain strong, according to sports marketers and media planners.

“As top scorer against the mighty Australians, Dhoni’s brand image as a fighter will remain intact,” said a chief operating officer of a sports management firm. He further said that if Dhoni does retire from one-day internationals, it will take a while before his brand value takes a hit. Speculation that was rife that Dhoni might announce his retirement from ODIs after the World Cup was put to rest by him. In a postmatch chat after India’s loss at Sydney, Dhoni stated that he would think about playing in the 2019 World Cup after next year’s T20 World Cup.

On Dhoni’s brand value, an official said that since Dhoni is still the captain leading Indian ODI, T20 and Chennai Super Kings Indian Premier League teams, his brand value and endorsement rate remains strong. “Experts had predicted that India would get knocked out before the quarter finals, but the team had seven consecutive wins. They have exceeded in their performance and expectations and I believe that after this, Dhoni has emerged as a better leader,” he said.

“One semi-final loss does not change anything for Dhoni,” said another marketing expert. “You can’t take it away from him, he resonates as a brand icon with audiences.” The India might have lost the 2015 World Cup, in Sydney, but brand MSD is likely to remain strong, according to sports marketers and media planners Yuvraj Singh, the blue-eyed boy of Indian cricket, well known for his performance and good looks makes a whopping Rs 18 cr from endorsement earnings.

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli earn close to Rs 20 cr & Rs 24 cr, respectively official, however, pointed out that if India had won the cup, Dhoni’s rates would certainly have gone up further.

Others follow the lead

Yuvraj Singh, the blue-eyed boy of Indian cricket is known to have a good connect with the audience because of his performance, good looks, and the recent victory over cancer. The young star makes a whopping `18 Cr from endorsement earnings.

Gautam Gambhir and Virat Kohli are not far as they too have their standing in the brand world. Gambhir earns close to `20 Cr per year from endorsements. The young gun of the Indian cricket team, Kohli’s endorses fetch him `24 Cr. With his rising popularity and association with Anushka Sharma, his price is expected to shoot up.

The best part about being an Indian cricketer is that your on-field performance does not affect your brand status. This is what company officials believe to be true.

By Joe Williams