Rishabh Pant somersaults his way back into brands' hearts

Mint

5 hours ago

NEW DELHI
:
Brands are lining up to sign Rishabh Pant after his historic twin centuries in the first India-England Test at Headingley.
The 27-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman became the first Indian to score centuries in both innings of a Test in England, and is now poised to nearly double his brand portfolio by the end of the year. He started the year with 18 endorsement contracts.
His brand value has seen an estimated 70-75% surge from the pre-injury days. He now commands ₹2.5 crore for a single-day ad shoot and around ₹4.5-4.75 crore for a two-day engagement, according to advertising industry insiders.
Pant returned to competitive cricket with the Indian Premier League (IPL) in March 2024 after an over-year-long hiatus due to a car accident in December 2022.
For context, top Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma charge ₹3.5-4.5 crore for one-day and ₹7 crore for two-day endorsement schedules per year.
But "as Virat Kohli nears the twilight of his career, there's room opening up for a new set of endorsable stars—and Pant is right up there," said Harsh Talikoti, director at Houlihan Lokey, an NYSE-listed investment bank that values some large-scale sports and entertainment properties such as the IPL.
'He's in that bracket with players like current test captain Shubman Gill and wicketkeeper-batsman K.L. Rahul in terms of their marketability," he added.
Talikoti also noted Pant's small-town roots, much like India's former captain M.S. Dhoni, work in his favour. "And the fact that he hasn't changed himself too much, staying grounded, makes him connect deeply with aspirational audiences," he added.
Pant's portfolio is currently skewed toward Tier-II and III markets. However, his strong comeback could help him expand to youth and urban-focused brands, mirroring Dhoni's path.
For brands, Gill speaks more to a Gen Z metro city audience.
While he remains a favourite for home appliances, steel pipes, and fantasy sports, gaming and Gen Z lifestyle brands are also showing an interest in his renewed relevance and mass-market appeal.
Pant endorses Adidas, Dream11, JSW Steel, Noise, and Boat, among other brands.
The comeback kid
His comeback with the Lucknow Super Giants' ₹27 crore bid—the highest ever in IPL history at the 2025 auctions—sparked a frenzy across the cricketing world.
However, he struggled to live up to the hype, delivering a lone performance that justified his price tag: a century against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in his final match of the season.
This week, he followed that up with twin centuries against England, becoming only the second wicketkeeper in Test history after Zimbabwe's Andy Flower to achieve the feat.
His elevation to India's vice-captaincy for the England Tour 2025 has further positioned him as a long-term bet for selectors and sponsors alike, according to agents.
Pant's portfolio has grown over 100% since June 2023, when he had 12 endorsements, according to Indranil Das Blah of AMP Sports & Entertainment, who jointly manages Pant with OneByTwo Entertainment's Anant Arora. He now has 26 brands, most of which he signed this year, and is in advanced talks with four gaming and consumer companies.
If all goes well, he is likely to end the year with a brand portfolio of 30 brands.
The new categories could range from TMT bars and steel pipes to home appliances and gaming platforms.
'A lot of these are traditional cricket advertisers—brands that have done in-stadia signage or partnered with cricket for a long time will want him. We'll also be announcing a couple of deals with Gen Z brands in the gaming and digital space soon," Blah added.
Pant, according to Blah, has been careful about his brand fit, prioritising his personal image—being relatable and quirky on the field, especially on the stump mic, where his humorous comments go viral on social media. 'That ticks a lot of boxes for a lot of brands. He's always been an A-lister, like some of the big Bollywood stars who, irrespective of giving hits or not, are still superstars."
Blah, not worried about Pant's performance fluctuations, said they aren't materially impacting his brand value. 'A slump of over a year might, but that's not the case here. Pant's quirky and offbeat personality is a commercial plus as it matches his high-performance, quirky communication style."
A case in point is Goibibo's creative re-use of Sunil Gavaskar's viral 'Stupid, stupid, stupid" commentary against Pant's poor shot selection during the Melbourne Test of 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy as a humorous reminder not to miss travel deals.
'Gen Z travellers are risk-takers in some sense and can take unplanned vacations," said Raj Rishi Singh, chief marketing and business officer at MakeMyTrip, which owns Goibibo. 'So he, in a way, is someone young people can relate with… he has that energy and fits the brand's ethos to the tee. In every sport, ups and downs are inevitable. We are happy that he's back in action," he said.
On Wednesday, Pant gained a new career-best rating by improving one spot to move to seventh in the ICC Men's Test Batter Rankings.
Earlier this year, he was elevated to Grade A from B in the BCCI's 2024-25 central contracts, entitling him to an annual retainership of ₹5 crore.