Li Ning Ousts Yonex With Srikanth Kidambi Endorsement

The former world number one, Srikanth Kidambi, who has been sponsored by Yonex for the past three years, returns to the Li Ning brand, which will supply his kit and equipment until 2023.

Kidambi became the first Indian men’s singles shuttler to reach the summit of BWF rankings during the Commonwealth Games last April and is the only Indian men’s player to win six Super Series titles on the badminton circuit.

“I am honoured to be the face of Li Ning in India and globally,” Kidambi said. “I love their products and I’m really looking forward to stepping on the court with a renewed vigour to accomplish a few more goals that I have set for myself and keep(ing) bring laurels for my country.”

Li Ning is presently Team India’s official apparel partner until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics where world number eight Kidambi is tipped to be a strong medal contender. It also has deals with the national badminton teams of Indonesia, China and Australia, and is the market leader (48.2%) for its category in badminton since Q216, investing almost US$8.5m, however yearly spends have taken a slight dip of almost 13.8% in 2018 to US$2m from US$2.32m in the previous year.

Across the Asian Sponsorship market, Li Ning’s quarterly spends have been relatively consistent, veering from US$17.8m to US$20m since Q216, and is the second largest with 16.2% share for its category, right behind Nike, and unsurprisingly China dominates with 96.3% of the investment.