Mahendra Singh Dhoni overtakes Virat Kohli in endorsement value

Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni takes over Virat Kohli in terms of brand value.

Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s brand value has seen a rise of almost 60% in the last four months, and has overtaken Virat Kohli as the highest paid cricket for endorsements, reports Hindustan Times.

“Dhoni has recently signed deals with six to eight brands where he will get a share of revenues generated by those brands,” said Arun Pandey, Dhoni’s manager and the chairperson of Rhiti Sports Management.

Virat Kohli had previously overtaken Dhoni after signing a Rs. 10 crore deal with with German sports goods giant, Adidas, however, the 32-year old is now charging Rs. 13 crore per annum for endorsements, almost Rs. 5 crore more than what he was charging last year.

Dhoni is currently the face of 21 brands which includes the likes of Pepsico, Aircel, Reebok, Exide, TVS Motors, Titan and Videocon, and is second to only Indian actor Aamir Khan, who has a price tag of Rs. 15 crore per endorsement.

“Dhoni’s brand value has got no dent because of his consistency and stunning performances of Team India,” said Latika Khaneja, director of Collage Sports Management.

Also, Indian audiences and sports lovers have a very short memory.”

According to Forbes, almost half of Dhoni’s endorsements pay more than $1 million annually, including a three-year deal with former billionaire Vijay Mallya’s United Breweries Group worth more than $5 million over three years.

Australian sports equipment brand Spartan had recently joined alliance with Dhoni in a revenue-sharing agreement.

“One of the hardest working players in the cricketing community, Dhoni captains the team for all three formats of the game for India as well as the Chennai Super Kings. His hardworking, unconventional style fits in perfectly with the culture of our brand,” said an inside from Spartan.