T20 World Cup triumph sends Indian players' valuation soaring

The combined valuation of India's winning eleven in the T20 World Cup has skyrocketed to billions and could well breach the Indian Premier League's brand value. According to investment bank Houlihan Lokey, IPL is worth $16.4 billion.

Executives said brand deals of retiring T20 players Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are expected to nearly double. Valuations of other top performers on Saturday - Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Surya Kumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, coach Rahul Dravid and newcomers like Shivam Dube - are set to increase at least 50-70%, they added.

"The combined valuation of the team in commercial terms would be in billions," said Sandeep Goyal, chairman of Rediffusion.

"There's (also) a massive non-measurable valuation upside in terms of memorability and nostalgia," said Goyal of ad agency Rediffusion.

Personalities Appeal

As companies and corporate leaders across sectors flooded social media platforms with congratulatory messages since Saturday night, executives at sports management companies said brand queries for endorsement deals, especially for Bumrah, Pandya and Yadav, started to surge from Sunday morning.

"That all these winning cricketers are diverse personalities is very attractive to brands, and opens up many opportunities for collaborations," said Abhishek Ganguly, cofounder and chief executive of Agilitas Sports. "Unlike a few years ago, when just two, or maximum three, players would excel in any given match, now, each and everyone in the team is performing like champions."

Ganguly was managing director for nearly a decade at the India unit of German sportswear maker Puma, which sponsored about a dozen cricketers, including newcomers, icons like Kohli and women cricketers.

"Saved his best for the last," Puma wrote on X about Kohli, with whom it has a Rs 110-crore deal.

"Many of the new players are coming from small towns and humble backgrounds," said Ganguly.