Virat Kohli retains top spot as India's celebrity endorser despite massive dip in brand valuation in 2021

MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli have been two of India’s finest cricketers of this generation and have won many laurels for their outstanding contributions to cricket. While the dynamic duo of cricket have taken the game to unattained heights, their tireless efforts have led to a phenomenal rise in their respective brand values.

Lately, it has been learned that their brand values have come up with contrasting results. Kohli, despite being an active player, has seen a decrease in his brand valuation, while Dhoni has witnessed a fantastic increase in his brand valuation even though he bid adieu to international cricket in August 2020 and only plays the game once in a year, which is during the IPL.

Virat Kohli’s brand value dipped from $238 million in 2020 to $186 million in 2021

According to a report in the Times of India, Kohli’s brand valuation saw a significant fall from around $238 million in 2020 to $186 million in 2021. However, it must be noted that despite a huge dip of $ 52 million, Kohli has retained the top spot as India’s celebrity endorser for the fifth year in a row.

Bollywood icons Ranveer Singh ($158 million) and Akshay Kumar ($140 million) take the third and fourth positions respectively. ‘Highway’ actress Alia Bhatt ($68 million) occupies the fourth spot.

Dhoni, on the other hand, saw his brand valuation jump to $61 million as he grabbed the fifth position in the list. The 2011 World Cup-winning skipper is currently representing the defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the ongoing IPL 2022.

Dhoni relinquished CSK captaincy on March 24 and was succeeded by star India all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Dhoni scored an unbeaten 38-ball 50 during the curtain-raiser against KKR, which propelled his team to a fighting total of 131/5 from their 20 overs. Unfortunately, it was not enough as they went on to suffer a six-wicket loss.

The four-time winners would be hoping to make amends when they face Lucknow Super Giants at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium on March 31.