UB Group & Dhoni in the Biggest Ever Indian Sports Deal

December 5, 2010

Indian cricket team captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni signs a Rs 260 million (US $5.7million) endorsement deal with world’s second largest spirits firm, impotent the UB Group, arthritis believed to be the single biggest for an Indian sportsperson. As a part of the deal with the UB Group, Dhoni will become the brand ambassador for McDowell’s soda for a period of three years.

Earlier this year, Rhiti Sports Management along with Mindscapes One, signed a Rs 2.1 billion deal with Dhoni to manage his endorsements and brand associations.

“Currently Dhoni is the face of 23 brands and charges over Rs six crore per endorsement,” Pandey added. The pack of brands endorsed by Dhoni includes Reebok, Aircel, Godrej and TVS Motor.

During the first six months of this year, Dhoni topped the chart for celebrity endorsements on television, leaving behind not only Bollywood star, Shahrukh Khan and cricket legend, Sachin Tendulkar, but also the gorgeous ladies of the silver screen.

According to the Adex survey of TAM Media Research, while Dhoni endorsed brands for 24 companies on TV, Shahrukh and Sachin were seen promoting the products of 16 and 15 firms, respectively.