Top 5 bat sponsorship deals in Indian cricket

There’s little to doubt about the kind of popularity cricket has in India. There’s an age-old adage that says “Cricket is a religion in India”, and even the finest debaters will stand mum in a motion to disprove that. The popularity of cricket in India has been like that stock in the national market that never drops down, not even momentarily.

Cricket is not followed by large swathes of the planet, but in India, finding even a single such sport that stands in the competition of cricket is an impossible task. Such zenithal fame of the game makes it a proper platform for brands to promote and endorse a variety of things. Apart from sponsoring, television advertisements, logos on the team’s jersey, and banners on the ground, a prominent manner of promoting brands happens to be bat sponsorship.

Over the years, there have been some renowned associations between players and companies as per which different the former have agreed to show off their sign on the bat and earn devastating sums of money. Consistent performers attract the attention of such brands and they end up paying massive sums of money to the players for their agreements.

Let’s take a look at 5 jaw-dropping bat sponsorship deals in Indian cricket-

1. Rohit Sharma- 3 Crore annually with CEAT

The flamboyant Indian-opener Rohit Sharma has grown in leaps and bounds as a player in the last half a decade or so. His wondrous exploits in the limited-over formats with the bat have been second to only the mighty best Virat Kohli, and he has ensured to do everything right to garner the attention of leading companies to invest in him.

His association with CEAT, a leading tyre manufacturer and a rival brand of MRF, dates back to 2016. As per The Economic Times, the right-handed batsman gets a fat paycheck of Rs. 3 Crore to display the CEAT logo on his bat. The prominent manufacturing company had extended the contract with Rohit for a period of three years in 2018.

Rohit Sharma has matured immensely and has established himself as a player of stature in the international set up. With feats like four IPL titles and 3 ODI double tons to his name, he has achieved a lot at a young age. In 32 Tests, 224 ODIs, and 108 T20Is, he has accumulated 2141, 9115, and 2773 runs respectively.