Indian cricket skipper Virat Kohli has been cashing multi-crore cheques from his ad campaigns and endorsements for more than half a decade now. He is one of the most preferred ambassadors, after Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni, in India. With several domestic and international brands already in the kitty, the star cricketer has sealed yet another whopping deal with MRF – worth ‘100 Crore’.
According to the reports, the leading tyre-maker agreed to offer Rs 100 Crore and signed Kohli as its brand ambassador for next 8 years. Some days back, the 28-year old Indian Captain cracked a similar deal with Puma, German MNC that designs and manufacture athletic. sports and casual footwear. Puma proposed Rs 100 Crores deal for 8 years.
Little master Sachin Tendulkar and West Indies star batsman Brain Lara were two cricketers who endorsed MRF in the past. Currently, Shikar Dhawan & South African star batsman AB de Villiers are associated with MRF.
Virat Kohli, who took 89th place in Forbes’ top-paid sportspersons list, is reluctant to sign a deal with popular beverage firm Pepsi Co. Kohli is not so keen to brand those drinks that he doesn’t consume.
On the other hand, Kohli reclaimed the No.1 Rank in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batsmen released soon after the conclusion of the last round of league matches in the ongoing Champions Trophy 2017.
Kohli had entered the tournament at 3rd rank, he was well behind No.1 ranked ranked AB de Villiers of South Africa and Australia’s David Warner. However, with match-winning knocks of 81 not out against Pakistan and 76 not out against South Africa, the Indian captain leapfrogged both de Villiers and Warner to the No.1 rank. This is the second time Kohli has been ranked No.1 ODI batsman in the world. He had enjoyed the top position for just four days in January 2017.