Captaincy to not change Rahane's brand value

Rahane charges Rs 25-30 lakh a year for endorsement deals; analysts say Zimbabwe tour will have little or no impact on the brand values, in terms of volumes of offers

While Ajinkya Rahane will be leading the 15-member cricket squad, as senior players from Team India rest it out, in the approaching tour to Zimbabwe, experts say the brand values of seniors and juniors are not in for any surprise ups or shocking downs.

Rahane, who made his Test debut in 2013 and one-day international (ODI) debut in 2011, will be leading the team against the host nation in three ODIs and two T-20's in the tour starting July 10.

While M S Dhoni, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin will miss the tour, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has recalled spinner Harbhajan Singh (last ODI played in 2011) and Robin Uthappa.

Brand analysts, however, say this tour will have little or no impact on the brand values, in terms of volumes of offers. "Based only on this announcement, I doubt there will be a change in the fortunes of the players either way. Everyone knows this is a stop-gap arrangement because Dhoni and Kohli are being rested," says Indranil Das Blah, COO, CAA KWAN.

The interest in a player as a brand endorser depends on his performance on the field and persona off-field, he says. "Sadly, Rahane lacks that flamboyance off the field that some of his teammates have. Much like V V S Laxman, who was a delight (to watch) on the field, but did not create a buzz off the field, Rahane also may not get that many offers as of now."

In the case of Singh and Uthappa, too, there may not be any significant change in interest, say experts.

While Rahane has some endorsement deals as part of the sponsorship contracts of brands with Rajasthan Royals (the team he plays for in the Pepsi Indian Premier League) and Team India, Singh and Uthappa do not have any major endorsement contracts.

Rahane charges Rs 25-30 lakh a year for endorsement deals. This is a far cry from seniors such as Kohli and Singh, who charge Rs 10 crore and Rs 12 crore, respectively. This fee is also not likely to increase based solely on being handed the captaincy for the Zimbabwe tour.
ENDORSEMENT SCOREBOARD

Ajinkya Rahane

• No current brand endorsements apart from those with Team India or IPL teams
• Average annual fee is Rs 25-30 lakh

Brands Endorsed by M S Dhoni: Aircel, Pepsi, Orient PSPO, Spartan Sports, Reebok, Boost, Amity University, Gulf Oil, Amrapali Group, Ashok Leyland, McDowell's Soda, Big Bazaar, Exide Batteries, TVS Motors, Sony Bravia, Sonata Watches, Dabur Chyawanprash, Lays Wafers, Lafarge Customer Service and Maxx Mobile

• Average endorsement fee per year: Rs 12 cr

Brands endorsed by Kohli: Pepsi, Boost, Nestle Munch, Clear (hair care range), USL, Adidas, MRF, Mattel, Oakley, TVS and Vicks

• Average endorsement fee per year: Rs 10 cr