Brands flock to Suryakumar Yadav as cricketer’s value triples

3 min read . Updated: 09 Nov 2022, 01:23 AM IST Varuni Khosla

The demand for Suryakumar Yadav has now surpassed that of peers such as K.L. Rahul and Rishabh Pant. PTI

In the last month alone, Yadav has been signed on by brands including men’s grooming company UrbanGabru

NEW DELHI :

Cricketer Suryakumar Yadav isn’t just hitting it out of the park when it comes to the T20I World Cup. Yadav, 32, who works with about 10 brands, is said to have upped the fee he charges to about ₹65 lakh a day, compared to the ₹15 lakh- ₹20 lakh a day he was charging in 2021.

The cricketer is in the process of signing about 10 new brands by the end of the year in the beverages, mobile accessories, media, sports apparel, casual apparel, education abroad services categories. Three of these are multinational corporations.

The demand for Yadav, who works with companies such as Royal Stag, Forma Helmets, FanCraze’s Faze NFT, Maxima Smartwatches, Dream11, Pintola peanut butter, and Boult Audio, has surpassed that of peers such as K.L. Rahul and Rishabh Pant. Yadav also endorses SS cricket equipment, owned by Sareen Sports Industries.

In the last month alone, Yadav has been signed on by brands including men’s grooming company UrbanGabru, owned by GlobalBees Brands Pvt Ltd, Boult Audio Private Limited, which imports and sells Chinese made electronics products such as earphones and smartwatches, and peanut butter brand Pintola owned by fast-moving consumer goods firm Das Foodtech Private Limited.

New players charge ₹25 lakh- ₹50 lakh per day, while more successful young cricketers would be able to command ₹50 lakh- ₹1 crore a day, industry experts said.

Nikhil Bardia, head of sponsorship sales and talent management at RISE Worldwide Limited, owned by Reliance Industries said it signed Yadav in July 2021. “When we signed him to our roster, there was a lot of chatter about him in the cricketing world about being the next big thing. We had a specific plan and narrative for him in place. We started with digital deals while focusing on his social media presence. Backed by his on-field performance, his social media presence has gone up by more than 300% and he’s now in the top 10 active Indian cricketers when it comes to Instagram," Bardia said.

At the time he joined the company, Yadav had four brands in his portfolio. Today he has 10 brands that have been announced, while about eight deals are expected to be announced this month. The talent management firm aims to close around 20 brands by the end of the year for the player.

“What works for him is that he is highly impactful and fearless with his presence on the pitch and very relatable and witty off it, which is what brands also tell us," Bardia said.

MINT PREMIUM See All

Yadav has been a consistent performer for the India team, said Aviral Jain, managing director, valuation advisory, at American corporate investigation and risk consulting firm Kroll, formerly Duff & Phelps. “He is quickly building his reputation as a match winner, which very few cricketers have done. His ability to play 360 degrees has attracted marketeers looking for a fresh, talented, and reliable face in the industry. He has the potential to grow his portfolio to more than 15 brands, joining people such as Pant, Jasprit Bumrah, and Hardik Pandya,“ Jain said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Varuni Khosla

Varuni Khosla is a journalist with close to 14 years of experience in writing business news stories for mainstream newspaper companies like Mint and The Economic Times. She reports and writes on luxury and lifestyle brands, hospitality and tourism news, the business of sports, the business of advertising and marketing and alcohol brands.