Cover Drive to Corporate: Decoding Virat Kohli's Bat Sponsorship Portfolio

(Virat Kohli using MRF bat sticker)

In the ever-evolving world of cricket, where every shot muddled through the bat excites the fans, the batsmen must choose the best quality for the same. There is an individual who has mastered his batting skills and commercial ways to make wealth with the help of bat sponsorships, the iconic Virat Kohli. Known for his Cover Drive, Virat Kohli is also paid by the company of the bat, which he uses during the matches on a contract basis. Having a charismatic personality, aggressive batting style, and leadership qualities, Virat Kohli has been the centre of attraction for brands to get themselves promoted to a good audience base.

Virat Kohli has been in the field of cricket for almost two decades now, and this journey has also been accompanied by bat sponsorships, which have been a vital source of his match earnings. Every endorsement done by Virat Kohli not only shows his capability on the cricket field but also his fan base and his way of attracting the audience. From his early cricket days to scoring 50 centuries in the ODI format to break Sachin Tendulkar's record, Virat Kohli has made his own bat sponsorships portfolio, which aligns him with the brands that put value to the game of cricket.

In this blog, we will be looking at the intricacies of the bat sponsorships that our King Kohli has done throughout his international career. Virat Kohli has established his financial empire from the top global brands to the emerging brands.

1. BDM Dynamic Power

Virat Kohli had his first ever bat sponsorship in the form of BDM Dynamic Power, which sponsored him till the year 2008. Virat played with the BDM Dynamic Power bats in the initial stages of his career, having scored some impressive knocks in the ICC Under-19 World Cup matches. Virat Kohli also made his international debut against Sri Lanka with his BDM Dynamic Power bat.

(Virat Kohli with BDM Dynamic Power sticker bat)

For those who don't know, BDM Dynamic Power is manufactured by the company BD Mahajan and Sons, which is a manufacturing company based in Meerut. Virat Kohli used their bats even in the ICC Under-19 World Cup 2008, where some of his impressive knocks led Team India to lift the Trophy. His most remarkable performance with the BDM Dynamic Power bat was on his International debut against Sri Lanka. In his first ODI match, Virat Kohli opened with Gautam Gambhir, smashing a half-century against Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, Virat Kohli was not able to convert the score into a century and was dismissed with the score of 54 runs in 66 balls. The price that Virat Kohli received from the BDM Dynamic Power bat sponsorships has been kept confidential.

2. Nike (2009-2013)

After having sponsored Virat Kohli till the year 2008, BDM Dynamic Power terminated their contract with Virat, as Nike wanted to sign him as their bat sponsor. Therefore, Virat Kohli signed a five-year contract with Nike, where the company paid him 1.42 crores per year to play with the bats, which had their sticker on them. It should be noted that the actual amount has not been disclosed, and the resources have told the amount mentioned above.

Virat Kohli started using Nike company bats in 2009, and he had also formed his career by then. These Nike bats were manufactured by the renowned company SS (Sareen Sports Industries). Nike had a contract with many Indian cricketers then, and Kohli used the bat for the next few years, during which India won the ICC World Cup 2011 and the ICC Champions Trophy 2013, with numerous other achievements. Virat played several impressive knocks with the Nike bat, also a part of his maiden ODI century, when he came against Sri Lanka in December 2009.

(Virat Kohli using a Nike sticker on his bat)

Virat's career-best and best knock with the Nike bat came in the Asia Cup 2012 tournament. He played against Pakistan to score 183 runs in just 148 balls, which allowed India to defeat Pakistan and mark the record for India's highest ODI run chase. By this time, Virat Kohli was also known as the chase master for the fans. Nike terminated their contract with Virat Kohli in 2013, reporting a breach of contract by Virat Kohli's side.

3. MRF (2014- Present)

Once his contract with Nike ended, Virat Kohli signed a contract with MRF until 2017. Virat Kohli was paid rupees 6.5 crores per year by MRF in this contract, further renewed in 2017. Virat Kohli entered the 100 crores club as MRF signed a 100 crores deal with Virat Kohli for bat sponsorship for 8 years, paying Virat Kohli 12.5 crores per year.

Ever since his contract with MRF started, Virat Kohli's dominance across International and Domestic cricket began as Virat started to break records. Virat Kohli dominated in the 2016 Indian Premier League, scoring 973 runs in 16 matches, the highest score by any individual in an IPL season. Virat Kohli had also scored four centuries and seven half-centuries in that season, leading Royal Challengers Bangalore to the second spot in the tournament.

(Virat Kohli having an MRF sticker on his bat)

Along with that, Virat Kohli even held the captaincy of the Indian cricket team across all three formats with the MRF bat, leading the team to the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2019, finalists of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23, finalists of the Champions Trophy 2017, and King Kohli also became the most successful Test captain for India with 40 wins. His iconic knock of 82 runs in the Asia Cup 2022 match against Pakistan is regarded as the most iconic T20I knock of the decade by many cricket analysts. Virat Kohli also scored 50 centuries in the ODI format against New Zealand in the ICC World Cup 2023, where he was also given the Player of the Tournament.