Show Kohli The Money! Cricket Star Bags Another Multi-Million Dollar Deal

According to media reports, Kohli has signed an eight-year, US$15.5 m bat sponsorship extension with tyre company MRF. The most visible element of this deal is a logo stuck on the face of his cricket bat… a piece of sponsorship real estate that gets a lot of exposure.

This bloated deal makes him the only sports personality in the country with two Rs.100+ crore (US$15.5m) endorsements after the 28-year-old batsman struck a deal with Puma in February for a cool US$16.4m.

Bunty Sajdeh, chief executive of Cornerstone Sport and Entertainment, the company that manages Kohli’s  endorsements, said: “We have renewed the bat sponsorship deal with MRF for eight years. MRF was keen on having Kohli for a long term. Today, brands are seeing value in securing long-term deals. We also want to show loyalty and commitment to them. Kohli has got a great rapport with MRF and the money is phenomenal.”

MRF has been associated with the legends Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Steve Waugh in the past, and currently, has AB de Villiers and Shikhar Dhawan in its sponsorship roster. However, the brand is still second for its category (13.8% market share, US$9.7m) in terms of cricket sponsorship spend in India since Q314, and is playing catch up to local rival CEAT, which has invested almost US$60.1m during this period.

On the Kohli sponsorship front, it does look like he is moving towards more lucrative deals than sheer volume. His intoxicating combination of Tendulkar’s classy elegance and Ganguly’s fierce drive will consolidate his position as the top choice for A-list brands in the Indian market for the next five years.