Indian bowlers shine, but brands remain wary: Can Bumrah change that?

“My favourite captain is me,” Jasprit Bumrah said at a media event in July.

 

It was a rapid fire round and India’s bowling spearhead was chuckling. But, as later events show, he walked that talk.

 

Bumrah led the Indian team to a thumping win in the first Test on the ongoing tour of Australia with a player-of-the-match performance. It is not easy to defeat Australia in Australia, as evident in the fact that India became the first team to beat the home team at Perth’s Optus stadium.

 

Later that day, a bunch of other Indian bowlers were making headlines, but not on the field of play. At the Indian Premier League’s Mega Auction, fast bowler Arshdeep Singh became the most expensive Indian pacer in the history of IPL auctions with a price tag of 18 crore and, for the same amount, Yuzvendra Chahal became the most expensive spinner.

 

This year, six Indian bowlers have been sold for more than Rs 10 crore. According to data compiled by sports website ESPN, 10 IPL franchises spent almost Rs 285 crore on 71 registered bowlers. Thirty-two batters were sold for nearly Rs 117 crore.

 

That is a far cry from just a few years ago.

 

“In India, batsmen have been considered the officer class while bowlers are seen as the worker class,” said Kapil Dev — who proved that Indians could make the new ball talk and who for a while was the world’s leading wicket taker — in 2012.

 

In the intervening years, there has been a growing realisation of the role bowlers play in winning matches.

 

“In the last few years, matches are being won on the back of bowlers. On a bad day, a batter can get out, but a bowler has to bowl a certain number of overs in every match,” says former Indian cricketer turned commentator Deep Dasgupta. “That’s one of the reasons why franchises are shelling out so much money.”

 

However, brands are not listening. Not yet. 

 

Batters rule

 

The brand and endorsement industry is yet to give bowlers what they could think they deserve.

 

According to the Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2023 by Kroll, star batter Virat Kohli was the most valued celebrity with a brand valuation of $227.9 million. The Top 25 included India’s Test and One Day International Skipper and opening batter Rohit Sharma at 18th rank with a valuation of $41 million.

 

“With batters, the image comes across as one against eleven. It is very heroic and thus brand-friendly,” says Samit Sinha, founder and managing partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting.

 

Former captain MS Dhoni ($95.8 million) and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar ($91.3 million), too, made it to the list in the seventh and eighth positions, respectively.

 

According to a report by Hansa Research Group released last week, Kohli, Dhoni, and Tendulkar are outshining other celebrities to emerge as the three most valued celebrities in 2024.

 

“When you become part of a World Cup winning team, it has a long-term impact on your brand value,” Sinha adds.

 

Power hitter and all-rounder Hardik Pandya has also emerged as a brand favourite with a valuation of $38 million. The trend has been similar for the reports in 2022 and 2021.

 

“When we compile our report, it is assessed based on brand endorsement portfolio, their personality, fan following, and social media presence. Jasprit Bumrah is the bowler who can be positioned among the Top 30,” Aviral Jain, managing director, Kroll is reported to have said.

 

Experts point out that batters have more opportunities of creating milestones: Half-century, century, most sixes, most fours, strike rates, strikes rates in power plays, ability to finish matches, scoring in the death overs, and so on. Fancy replays, celebrations, and compilations add to the marketability.

 

Lack of bowlers turning into celebrated captains is also one of the reasons highlighted by experts. “This has been a global trend. The branding has also been impacted, globally,” Sinha says.

 

Former England captain Mike Brearley, in his compelling book The Art of Captaincy, argues that bowlers often struggle more than batters when appointed captains. “It takes an exceptional character to know when to bowl, to keep bowling with all his energy screwed up into a ball of aggression, and to be sensitive to the needs of the team, both tactically and psychologically,” he writes.

 

Nikhil Bardia, Head of RISE Worldwide, the agency that manages Jasprit Bumrah, however believes that there is a multitude of reasons when brands select athletes. “Value, performance, business impact and relevance, and synergies between the brand and the player are high on the priority list,” he says. “Milestones and bids add to an athlete’s overall perception which of course helps start the conversation. However, it doesn’t entirely impact the value that they bring to brands. It goes beyond.”

 

Currently, Virat Kohli endorses at least 45 brands with a fee of around Rs 7-8 crore each on an average. Rohit Sharma has more than 35 brands with a per brand fee of up to Rs 4 crore. For Hardik Pandya, the count is around 20 brands with an average fee of Rs 2.5 crore.

 

From the bowling line-up, apart from Jasprit Bumrah, only a few have been able to grab brands’ attention. For Mohammed Shami, World Cup 2023 turned out to be the turning point, where he took 23 wickets, including three five-wicket hauls. According to Flair Media, the agency that manages Shami, his brand value almost doubled to touch Rs 1 crore after that tournament. Yuzvendra Chahal, with his unique social media presence, has managed to crack a deal with seven to eight brands.   

 

Becoming Bumrah

 

“Alexa, play Jasprit Bumrah”. “Sorry, he is unplayable”.

 

That was the meme that started to make the rounds on social media after Bumrah’s sensational spell in Perth. Currently, the top ranked ICC bowler in Test category, Bumrah is also making a mark with his leadership and off-field presence. From being compared to Kapil Dev to being termed as the Terminator, Bumrah has managed to stay in the headlines. The tag of an “all-time great” is inviting debates.

 

“This generation sometimes forgets that there were Indian teams before 2000 which also fought and won,” said Sunil Gavaskar on air during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The brands, however, are taking note of the buzz.

 

Bumrah’s brand portfolio increased 53.8 per cent in 2024-25. “In recent years, there have definitely been more conversations regarding Jasprit Bumrah to be their brand ambassador,” says Bardia, adding that Bumrah has broken out of the identity of “bowler” and is now seen as an athlete who creates an impact on the field as well as off it.

 

According to RISE Worldwide, Bumrah currently endorses more than 20 brands with an average endorsement fee of Rs 3 crore. His portfolio includes sportswear, FMCG, BFSI, protein, education, beverages, fantasy sport, cement, and pipes. Moreover, he has seen a 68.2 per cent increase in value with new brand signings in 2024 compared to 2023. The renewal of brand endorsements saw an increase of nearly 260 per cent.

 

While the endorsement stars are aligning for Bumrah, other bowlers in the unit await their due.

 

Will more brands bat for bowlers?