PV Sindhu becomes the second most paid endorser from sports world

In India, cricket is no less than a religion, and it becomes difficult for any other sport or sportsperson to beat the race in becoming India’s favourite. However, because of her silver-winning performance in Olympics last year, shuttler PV Sindhu has done what no one could have thought of.

Sindhu now stands second in terms of money earned by a celebrity endorser from the sports world, leaving behind MS Dhoni and next only to Indian skipper Virat Kohli.

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Sindhu, who won India a silver medal at the Rio Olympics in August last year, becoming the first Indian woman athlete to do so, now earns big for each day of endorsements, moving past several established names like Dhoni, badminton player Saina Nehwal and tennis ace Sania Mirza.

Her recent rise to the world top 5 in Badminton has also upped her brand value in the advertising world.

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"Sindhu is now ahead of both other woman athletes and non-cricketers," Tuhin Mishra, MD and co-founder at Baseline Ventures, told ET. The firm represents Sindhu. "We are looking at creating long-term equity for her with brands and are ensuring that her playing time is not impacted by endorsements."

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Sindhu charges about Rs 1-1.25 crore a day, next only to Kohli who charges Rs 2 crore per day. Before Rio Olympics, she reportedly used to charge around Rs 15-25 lakh for endorsements.

The latest product to have signed Sindhu as its ambassador is Reckitt Benckiser’s Moov pain reliever, after Myntra, Apis and Bank of Baroda. Other than that, she also endorses the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill.

(Image source: Atozwalls)