#KingKohli snatches away Badshaah Khan’s crown of India’s Most Valuable Celebrity Brand

Has this been a good year for Virat Kohli or what?

Not only did the Indian cricket captain recently marry his dream girl Anushka Sharma, he’s also just been revealed as India’s most valuable brand with a celebrity value of $143 million!

According to a report by corporate advisers Duff & Phelps, Kohli’s overtaken Bollywood king Shah Rukh Khan, who held the title of the country’s most valuable celebrity brand since 2014.

“For the first time since 2014, Shah Rukh Khan has slipped from the top ranking and has been replaced by Virat Kohli. Kohli is now the first choice of brands to engage and attract consumers, fuelled by his extraordinary on-field performances and off-field charisma,” said Varun Gupta, Duff & Phelps MD and regional leader, India, Japan and Southeast Asia.

The rise of Kohli’s value signals the growing earning power of millennials such as Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh, who are becoming increasingly sought after by big-budget brands.

Abhishek Ganguly, managing director of Puma India, which Kohli endorses, said, “Virat has transformed the way fitness is looked at in Indian cricket. He has emphasized the role of an athlete and reshaped cricket in the millennial culture. He is a youth icon with effortless style.” Kohli signed an eight-year deal with the brand early this year, making him the first Indian sportsperson to sign a Rs 100-crore endorsement deal with a single brand.

Similarly, Coca-Cola signed Ranveer Singh instead of their long-time ambassador Salman Khan for their Thums Up endorsement this year. Juhi Chawla was replaced by Parineeti Chopra in the Kurkure ad, while Lays Chips’ previous ambassador Saif Ali Khan was replaced by Ranbir Kapoor.