Since some of the richest cricketers of all time are from India, such as MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar, they also end up bagging the most expensive endorsement deals and advertisements. Similarly, one Indian cricketer bagged the most expensive bat sponsorship deal of all time, worth Rs 100 crore.
Virat Kohli is the Indian cricketer who has the most expensive bat sponsorship of all time in the cricket industry, with the MRF deal priced at Rs 100 crore. This means that Kohli earns Rs 12.5 crores annual salary just through the MRF deal.
Before Kohli, the title for the most expensive bat sponsorship in the world was held by the Master Blaster himself, Sachin Tendulkar. The cricket legend had also signed a deal with MRF, though his annual payout from the sponsorship was Rs 8 crore.
By signing the bat sponsorship deal with MRF, Virat Kohli has agreed to use the MRF logo on his bat for the coming years in every match he plays, promoting the brand. While Kohli’s bat is worth around Rs 27,000, the MRF sticker on his bat fetches him over Rs 12 crore every year.
Virat Kohli signed the Rs 100 crore deal with MRF in 2017, and it is expected to continue for a few more years, getting him a whopping Rs 1 crore per month salary from the company.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni, which is one of the biggest names in cricket, signed a sponsorship deal with Spartan Sports, a brand from Australia, and Amity University. Dhoni earns a whopping Rs 25 crore from his bat sponsorship but from two separate deals.
Meanwhile, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma signed a bat sponsorship deal with tire brand CEAT for Rs 3 crore per year. Earlier, Yuvraj Singh had signed a sponsorship deal with sports apparel brand Puma for an annual salary of Rs 4.5 crore.
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