Virat Kohli paid THIS amount for MRF bat sponsorship, will brand target Shubman Gill next?

Cricket is without a doubt most popular sport in India which is why it doesn't come as a surprise that cricketers are literally worshipped in country. Such supreme fame of sport and its players gives brands an exemplary opportunity to endorse ir label. Over years, India's premier batsmen have raked in big bucks by signing bat deals with se brands.

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Virat Kohli earns whopping ₹12.5 crore per year, Shubman Gill likely to clinch huge deal

While legendary Sachin Tendulkar is kwn for his association with MRF, Rahul Dravid is kwn for sporting Britannia logo on his bat. likes of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh used to have erstwhile Hero Honda stickers on ir bat while MS Dhoni who retired from international cricket in August last year h a massive deal with Spartan.

Indian captain Virat Kohli, who is considered as Tendulkar's successor by many, is also today reaping  rewards of latter's deal with MRF. tyre-manufacturing company signed Kohli in 2015 for a three-year period where he reportedly received ₹8 crore per year. deal was renewed in 2017 with MRF spending ₹100 crore for a period of eight years, courtesy of which Kohli reportedly earns ₹12.5 crore per annum just to don MRF's sticker on his bat. Besides Kohli, Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan used to sport MRF's logo on his bat, for he reportedly earned ₹3 crore per year.

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India's limited-overs vice-captain, Rohit Sharma is associated with MRF's rival CEAT, ar tyre manufacturing brand. deal was first signed in 2016 and was renewed in 2018 for a period of three years. Mumbai-based cricketer earns ₹3 crore annually for donning CEAT's logo on his bat. It is likely that India's breakout star from Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Shubman Gill, who is cited as next big thing in Indian cricket will also sign a bat deal.

Gill starred for India in series and played a massive role in ir win in  India vs Australia 4th Test 2021 by scoring a counter-attacking 91 on last day of Test while chasing 328. Gill's kck laid foundation for middle-order to complete a historic chase. tably, young batsman was playing without a sticker on his bat during India vs Australia 4th Test 2021.

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After momentous Gabba Test, RPG Enterprises Chairman Harsh Goenka tweeted, "Shubman Gill deserves CEAT bat again." Gill h signed a deal with CEAT in 2018 when he was a part of India's U-19 team and received ICC World Cup player of tournament award in same year.

Replying to Goenka's tweet, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra replied: "So...which way is it heing? MRF or CEAT? Of course, I’m talking about Shubman’s bat sponsor. It’s almost preposterous to see sticker on his bat". Goenka promptly replied, "Shubman h a contract with CEAT. He opted out this year to tie up with I think Yuvraj Singh’s brand. He is always welcome back."

During Dream11 IPL 2020 in UAE, Gill h sported logo of Yuvraj Singh's brand YouWeCan. same sticker was seen during Test series vs Australia as well but it wasn't visible during Gabba Test. absence of sticker from Gill's bat hints that a bat deal is on cards. MRF, which is kwn for its association with top cricketers, could very well be in contention to sign a bat deal with Gill. However, CEAT and or brands are also in line. It will be interesting to see which brand mans to have a piece of budding batsman.

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SOURCE: TWITTER/ ICC TWITTER