Just last week, Open AI announced a multi-year partnership with cricket veteran Sachin Tendulkar, with the objective of helping Indians understand how best to use AI in their personal and professional lives. The company also rolled out an ad film for ChatGPT featuring the retired cricketer. OpenAI has become one of the estimated 23-plus brands that now have the master blaster as their ambassador, up from 15 in 2022.
Despite retiring over a decade ago (in 2013), Tendulkar has landed endorsement deals for brands such as Apollo Tyres, SML, Tanishq, Luminous Power Technologies, Organic India and more. His endorsement fee has stayed consistent at Rs 8 to 10 crore. According to Kroll, his brand value as of 2025 is $125.9, making him the fourth most valuable celebrity in the country after Shah Rukh Khan, Ranveer Singh and Virat Kohli, in that order.
This is a cricket star that carried the hopes of an entire nation with humility and dignity, notes Santosh N, managing partner, D and P Advisory. That emotional connection exists across generations, from those who watched him play in the 1990s to today’s generation that recognise him as someone their parents admired.
“This gives Tendulkar an unusual versatility, allowing him to represent legacy brands like Apollo Tyres and Tanishq, while also helping new-age brands such as ChatGPT,” Santosh says. He is familiar without being outdated, aspirational without being distant, and respected without appearing manufactured.
The one major quality that Tendulkar offers in spades is trust, say experts. If Kohli brings flamboyance and energy and Kapil Dev represents Indian cricket’s storied history, Tendulkar brings the kind of trust and reassurance that noone else does.
Experts also say his longstanding refusal to endorse alcohol or tobacco brands, which are big spenders during sports tournaments, has also given Tendulkar the responsible-role-model halo.
Ajimon Francis, MD India, Brand Finance, says Tendulkar has also remained top of mind with his consistent visibility on social platforms. “He maintains a steady following, and remains visible during the Indian Premier League and many other important cricket events,” says Francis. That carefully-cultivated dad-next-door appeal has worked well for brands across categories.
Moving the needle
Most partnerships featuring Tendulkar seldom move the needle on brand or business metrics, argues Sandeep Goyal, managing director, Rediffusion. “Even for a brand like ChatGPT, it is unclear what impact the association will have on younger target consumers, who might never have watched him play. While Tendulkar may be a highly visible face that consumers trust, it remains to be seen if the brands he endorses actually acquire the same kind of trust by virtue of their association with him,” says Goyal.
Also, with the little master becoming the face of close to 25 brands, there is a serious risk of overexposure, says Goyal. “Brands will need to outspend each other to gain greater visibility,” he adds. Campaigns that are not backed with differentiated strategies or big spending are likely to turn trust into background noise.
Brand Finance’s Francis notes that since Tendulkar is not the best orator, most brands tend to use just his face or his sport in their ads. He recommends advertisers take a leaf out of Spinny’s campaigns like “God Promise”, which featured an almost silent Tendulkar performing different tasks, while the brand’s promises played on screen. The campaign worked to build faith in a brand operating in the tricky category of second-hand cars that suffers from trust deficit, ecosystem fragmentation and evaluation complexity.