The making of a 'Virat' brand: Topping endorsement and run charts

Brands love him. Some have even described him as the world’s most marketable cricketer. For five years in a row, from 2017 to 2021, he has topped Kroll's celebrity valuation report, though he slipped to the second slot, behind actor Ranveer Singh, in 2022.  

With a valuation of $176.9 million, Virat Kohli is a brand to reckon with.

"Brand Kohli had a bit of a difficult run in 2022, given his relatively inconsistent on-field performance, because of which he was in and out of the team,” says Aviral Jain, managing director, Kroll India.

But he is back with a bang now, giving "extraordinary ‘Virat’ performances in the ongoing World Cup and in earlier tournaments," Jain says. 

Kohli, says brand consultant Samit Sinha, has always been in a league of his own. “It’s not just the sheer quality of his individual performance – which is top-notch — but also how consequential those performances have been for the team. They have always come at a time when India really needed to win the matches,” says Sinha, founder, Alchemist Brand Consulting.

Kohli, he says, started off as a brash youngster, which also went in tandem with the self-image of India, which was finding a new, aggressive voice for itself. “He has since obviously matured and mellowed down.”

All of this has made him a sought-after celebrity for many brands. He currently endorses more than 40 brands, including Myntra, Puma, MRF, Blue Star, and engine oil brand Valvoline.

“If India ends up winning the World Cup, riding on the superman that Kohli is, it will usher in a strong current for Brand Kohli for 2023 and beyond,” says Jain. “Some signs are already visible with new endorsement deals this year."