Look out Sachin and Dhoni! Saina Nehwal becomes top female sports endorser

After Iodex, Yonex, Bajaj Nomarks, India’s ace badminton player Saina Nehwal will now be seen endorsing products for Kellogg.

World Number 2 in women’s singles, Nehwal, signed the two-year deal pegged at around Rs 1.5 crore, outpacing tennis star Sania Mirza and boxer Mary Kom.

A spokesperson of Kellogg India confirmed the deal with Nehwal but did not divulge any further details.

"Kellogg is looking for a repositioning exercise with Saina... the advertising is likely to break next month," one of the persons familiar with the development told Economic Times.

Nehwal has also endorsed Indian Overseas Bank and the Sahara group.

National director of sports and live events at GroupM ESP, Vinit Karnik, told ET Saina is the highest paid woman sportsperson in India.
“Sania Mirza's endorsement fee used to be the highest till about five years back. But Saina has been far more visible on the circuit, which is what brands look for,” he told the financial daily.

However, few managers believe that gap between earnings of male and female sportstars still remains wide.

Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni charges over Rs 10 crore for brand endorsement and Virat Kohli's fee is Rs 5-6 crore.
But, talent management firm Kwan's promoter Anirban Das told ET, "It's a reflection of the popularity of the sport rather than a function of gender. The reach of cricket still hugely overshadows any other sport in India."

(Image: Reuters)