Making the right moves

What Divya Deshmukh's Recent Win Means for Women Sporting Celebrities in India

- BISWAJIBAN SHARMA

WHEN DIVYA DESHMUKH registered a thumping win at the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, many saw it as the arrival of a new sports icon in the brand endorsement firmament. At just 19, she was the first Indian woman to win the tournament, writing a fresh chapter not just for the game of chess but for a new generation of athletes and sport persons trying to eke out a share in a cricket-dominated business.

Many others worried if that was just a blip.

Look at the Top 10 most visible celebrities of the year 2024 as per TAM AdEx's latest report. It has six male and only four female stars—Sara Ali Khan, Kiara Advani, Alia Bhatt and Anushka Sharma—all from the world of Bollywood. The only sporting personality on the list was MS Dhoni at the number four spot, after Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.

Now look at the market waiting to be tapped. India's massive sports market, with 655 million sports fans, is growing fast. The size of the sports endorsement market experienced significant growth, with athlete endorsements alone reaching ₹1,224 crore in 2024, a 32% year-on-year increase from ₹927 crore in 2023. Overall, the Indian sports sponsorship industry grew by 6% in 2024 to a total of ₹16,633 crore, as reported by GroupM ESP.