Virat Kohli replaces Shah Rukh Khan as most valuable celebrity

Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has replaced the popular Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan as the most valuable celebrity in India. The stardom of Kohli has been on the rise ever since he has taken over the captaincy of the Indian cricket team. Ever before he had assumed captaincy, he was a popular choice among the brands for their endorsements.

The recent reports suggest that Kohli has managed to see a growth of as high as 56 per cent in terms of his brand value. As per the Duff & Phelps report Rise of the Millennials: India’s Most Valuable Celebrity Brands, Virat Kohli has a brand value of USD 144 million at present. As per the quotes in Hindustan Times, the Managing Director of Duff and Phelps confirmed that Kohli has now become the preferred choice of the brands and has dethroned Shah Rukh Khan from the helm.

“For the first time since we began publishing our rankings, Shah Rukh Khan has slipped from the top ranking and been replaced by Virat Kohli. Kohli is now the first choice of brands to engage and attract consumers, fueled by his extraordinary on-field performances and off-field charisma,” Duff & Phelps managing director and region leader – India, Japan and Southeast Asia Varun Gupta said.

Kohli – A cut above the rest

Talking about the numbers, Shah Rukh Khan slipped to the number 2 spot after valuing USD 106 million this year. He saw a dip by 20 per cent in his brand value compared to what he had last year. Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone comes in at number 3 with USD 93 million as her brand value. It is worth noting that Virat Kohli has 20 brands to his name as on October 20017.

Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika have 21 and 23 brands to their names respectively. Among the highest gainers from last year, actor Akshay Kumar saw a surge of 97 per cent to rise to USD 47 million. Meanwhile, Badminton star PV Sindhu became the first female athlete to enter the list with USD 15 million brand value. The only other cricketer in the top 15 list is MS Dhoni. Dhoni valued USD 21 million in the list to take the 13th position.