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

Cricket is without a doubt the most popular sport in India which is why it doesn't come as a surprise that cricketers are literally worshipped in the country. Such supreme fame of the sport and its players gives brands an exemplary opportunity to endorse their label. Over the years, India's premier batsmen have raked in big bucks by signing bat deals with these 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 known for his association with MRF, Rahul Dravid is known for sporting the Britannia logo on his bat. The likes of Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh used to have the erstwhile Hero Honda stickers on their bat while MS Dhoni who retired from international cricket in August last year had a massive deal with Spartan.

Indian captain Virat Kohli, who is considered as Tendulkar's successor by many, is also today reaping the rewards of the latter's deal with MRF. The tyre-manufacturing company signed Kohli in 2015 for a three-year period where he reportedly received ₹8 crore per year. The 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, another tyre manufacturing brand. The deal was first signed in 2016 and was renewed in 2018 for a period of three years. The Mumbai-based cricketer earns ₹3 crore annually for donning CEAT's logo on his bat. It is likely that India's breakout star from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Shubman Gill, who is cited as the next big thing in Indian cricket will also sign a bat deal.

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

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

Replying to Goenka's tweet, former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra replied: "So...which way is it heading? MRF or CEAT? Of course, I’m talking about Shubman’s bat sponsor. It’s almost preposterous to see no sticker on his bat". Goenka promptly replied, "Shubman had 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 the Dream11 IPL 2020 in the UAE, Gill had sported the logo of Yuvraj Singh's brand YouWeCan. The same sticker was seen during the Test series vs Australia as well but it wasn't visible during the Gabba Test. The absence of sticker from Gill's bat hints that a bat deal is on the cards. MRF, which is known for its association with top cricketers, could very well be in contention to sign a bat deal with Gill. However, CEAT and other brands are also in line. It will be interesting to see which brand manages to have a piece of the budding batsman.

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SOURCE: TWITTER/ ICC TWITTER