'Brand Rahane' to see no uptick on captaincy announcement

With his persona off the field not exactly complementing his performance on it, it's hard to envision an increase in his endorsement fortunes

While it might have come as a surprise to many a fan that Ajinkya Rahane will be leading the 15-member squad as senior players form Team India rest it out, in the approaching tour to Zimbabwe, the brand value of the seniors and juniors alike, will not see much change in their fortunes, say experts.

Rahane, who made his test debut in 2013 and one-day international 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 the likes of MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin will be missing the tour, the BCCI has recalled spinner Harbhajan Singh (last ODI played in 2011) and Robin Uthappa.

Brand analysts however say that 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.

He adds that the interest in a player as a brand endorser depends on his performance on the field and persona off the field. “Sadly, Rahane lacks that flamboyance off the field that some of his teammates have. Much like VVS LAxman, who was a delight (to watch) on the field, but did not create a buzz off the field, Rahane also may not have that many offers as of now,” he adds.

In case of Singh and Uthappa too, there might not be any significant change in interest since the tour is a stop gap arrangement from the BCCI feels experts. While Rahane has some endorsement deals as part of the sponsorship contracts of brands with Rajashtan 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 as of now.

Rahane currently charges Rs 25 to 30 lakhs a year for his endorsements deals. This is a far cry from seniors like Kohli and Singh, who charge around Rs 10 crore and Rs 12 crore respectively. This fee is also not likely to increase based solely on being handed captaincy for the Zimbabwe tour.