Kohli No. 1 in top celebrity endorser list despite brand valuation dip, Dhoni's climbs to $61 million: Report
Kohli remains No. 1 in top celebrity endorser list despite brand valuation dip
Virat Kohli remains the poster boy of Indian cricket despite not being the captain across formats. In mid-September, the superstar cricketer announced that he will resign as the shortest format'scaptain post India's campaign in the 2021 T20 World Cup, in the UAE.
Post the T20 WC, radical changes were made in the Team India setup. While Kohli was sacked as the ODI skipper, he also went onto step down as the Test captain in early 2022. Amid all this, he had already given up Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) captaincy after Bengaluru's end of campaign in IPL 2021. Thus, resuming as a pure batter for India and the RCB franchise, Kohli's brand valuation has taken a dip as well.
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According to a report filed byTimesofIndia, the 33-year-old Kohli's brand valuation has shrunk from around $238 million in 2020 to $186 million in the next year (2021). Despite the dip, the former India and RCB skipper continues to holdthe top spot in the top celebrity endorser list. This is for the fifth consecutive time that he has retained the No. 1 spotin India's top celebrity endorser list, staying ahead of the likes of Ranveer Singh (second), Akshay Kumar (third), Alia Bhatt (fourth) and MS Dhoni (fifth). Moreover, India's full-time captain Rohit Sharma occupies the 13th spot (with brand value of USD 32.2 million).
On the other hand, Dhoni's brand valuation has also seen an increase (to $61 million)."There were rumours that Dhoni quit the Indian Premier League (IPL). But he turned it around by taking Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to a win and transitioning to the role of a mentor for the national team,” Aviral Jain, MD, Duff & Phelps (A Kroll Business) told TOI. He further added, "Dhoni has become a timeless brand similar to Sachin Tendulkar."
“Brand value is directly proportional to eyeballs, focus and the chemistry the brand is able to create among its users and fans. More so in the case of a persona brand from the world of cricket,” said Harish Bijoor who is the founder of Harish Bijoor Consults.
“Kohli’s brand valuation is down. It is bound to be. He no longer sports the India captain’s cap. He no longer bears the RCB mantle, as well. New names occupy these positions today. As each of them deepen their brand valuation, Kohli will weaken his. It’s all part of the game. Part of the game is called branding!,” Bijoor pointed out.
At present, both Dhoni and Kohli are involved in the IPL 2022 edition. Dhoni has stepped down as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain whereas Kohli-starrer RCB is being led by Faf du Plessis.