How India’s World Cup win turned its women cricketers into the new brand icons: Report

The Indian women's cricket team has become a source of inspiration for countless young girls across the country following their ODI World Cup triumph against South Africa on Sunday. The historic victory not only boosted the players’ popularity but also saw their brand value skyrocket.

Stars like Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Shafali Verma, who played pivotal roles in realising India’s dream of winning a Women’s World Cup, have reportedly witnessed a significant jump in their endorsement fees and brand value.

India women’s cricketers see record rise in brand value

According to The Economic Times, the brand value of these players has increased by 25 to 100 percent. The report adds that after India’s maiden ICC title win in Navi Mumbai, brands are rushing to sign these players as their ambassadors.

"Since this morning, there's been a rush of brand queries - not just new endorsements but also renegotiations, with fee increases upwards of 25-30%," Tuhin Mishra of Baseline Ventures, which manages some of these athletes, told ET.

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Indian players Smriti Mandhana, Pratika Rawal, Richa Ghosh, and Radha Yadav are represented by Baseline Ventures. While Mandhana and Ghosh played vital knocks in the final against South Africa, Rawal produced a few brilliant innings in the group stage before being ruled out with an injury.

Meanwhile, JSW Sports, the company that manages Jemimah Rodrigues, who helped India reach the summit clash with her stellar century against Australia in the semifinal, also saw a surge in brand inquiries regarding the batter since her performance in the knockout stage.

“We’ve been flooded with requests almost immediately after the match against Australia was completed. We’re in conversation with brands across 10–12 categories,” Karan Yadav of JSW Sports was quoted as saying by ET.

Some of the brands these players endorse are Nike, Red Bull, Boat, Surf Excel, State Bank of India (SBI), Hyundai, PNB Metlife Insurance, Gulf Oil, etc. The surge in brand value of these World Cup-winning players was already expected, as this is a normal trend seen after an athlete wins something on the big stage.