For Brand Virat Kohli To Rule, Batsman Kohli Must Score

He's been among India's most resilient brands. But Virat Kohli's decision to step down from Test cricket captaincy could shake that image given the events of recent months.

Sharleen D'souza

For one, the cricketer was also removed from One Day International Cricket captaincy after he decided to step down as T20 captain. And then his exchanges with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), coupled with his weakening onfield performance, could have an impact on his brand image.

That said, brand experts believe that Kohli's brand value is also tied to his performance as a batsman and if he is able to return to his peak performance, it will likely prevail.

Kohli, who is associated with brands such as Vivo, Puma, Uber India, to name a few, had in 2020 emerged as the most valuable celebrity in the country for a fourth straight year, according to Duff & Phelps' “Celebrity Brand Valuation Study 2020”. At $237.7 million, his brand value had remained almost unchanged from 2019. Compared to the second-most valuable celebrity, Akshay Kumar ($118.9 million), he was miles ahead.