Virat Kohli’s brand value has taken a massive hit in the last 12 months, going down from around $238 million (Rs 1,803 cr) in 2020 to $181 million (Rs 1,371 cr) in 2021.

This massive plunge is a direct result of what transpired on the field in the last six months. The Delhi batter is not the leader anymore. He relinquished T20I and Test captaincy on his own but was sacked unceremoniously from the 50-over role by the Indian cricket board. He even stepped down from the RCB captaincy.

© Reuters

His performances on the field weren’t great either and not to forget he was also involved in various controversies with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and its president Sourav Ganguly over the last few months and all this has caused a huge dip in his brand value. 

“One of the major factors for this drop was the increased risk associated with his brand and with the recent stepping down from captaincy and controversy with the BCCI,” Aviral Jain, Managing Director, Duff & Phelps, the agency that published this report, was quoted as saying by Moneycontrol.

© Reuters

Despite his brand value taking a huge plunge, the 33-year-old still continues to be India’s top celebrity brand endorser for the fifth consecutive year. 

He has eclipsed the likes of Ranveer Singh ($158m) and Akshay Kumar ($140m), Aliya Bhatt ($68m) who occupy the next three spots on the list. 

Even though his valuation has gone down considerably, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper still endorses more than 30 brands. Despite the plunge, he continues to be the most valuable athlete in the country. 

© Reuters

There is a stark difference in Kohli’s brand value and the next cricketer on the list – MS Dhoni who has a valuation of $61m. The former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper, who guided them to their fourth IPL trophy last year, has seen a rise in his valuation but he is still miles behind his RCB compatriot.

© Reuters

Rohit Sharma, who took Kohli’s place as India’s new all-format captain, has also seen his brand value increase from $25.7 million in 2020 to $32.2 million in 2021

Just to put into perspective, the loss Kohli endured on his brand value was way more than Rohit’s current brand valuation. Just looking at the numbers, the Mumbai Indians skipper has a huge catching up to do before he can rival Kohli’s brand popularity.

There’s no doubt that Kohli's numbers have gone down but he is still the undisputed king of the brand endorsement industry and it’s a testament to his overall supremacy. 

View the full article