The Women in Blue won our hearts on Sunday with their spectacular maiden World Cup win. The victory is expected to push up endorsement fees for captain Harmanpreet Kaur and vice-captain Smriti Mandhana by a good 30-50%. Jemimah Rodrigues, who played superbly in the semi-final against former world champions Australia, is also expected to climb up the endorsement ladder.
Mandhana and Kaur, who already endorse over 20 brands between them, could see their endorsement fees rise by up to 50% from the current Rs 60-75 lakh per deal. Young stars like Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma and Richa Ghosh are also expected to see increased interest from brands after bringing their A-game to the World Cup.
They could be considered for bigger brand endorsements and their fees, which are nothing much to write home about, could go up to Rs 40-50 lakh per brand.
Santosh N, managing partner, D and P Advisory, says the win could be the tipping point for women cricketers in the endorsement ecosystem. It has significantly raised visibility, public interest, and viewership for women’s cricket, challenging long-standing perceptions about gender disparity in the sport. The BCCI has taken steps to equalise match fees and prize money, reducing one of the glaring gaps between men’s and women’s cricket.
“The expanding Women’s Premier League (WPL) and better financial security let women cricketers focus on their careers longer and develop higher skills, helping level the playing field over time,” he says. All of these, he says, bode well for the future of women’s cricket, while also establishing these cricketers as credible faces for brands.
Karan Yadav, chief commercial officer, JSW Sports, says the win will have a ripple effect that will go beyond the playing field by changing viewers’ perceptions of women’s cricket. While players like Kaur, Rodrigues and Mandhana will see the win reinforce their brand equity, the ones to watch out for are the emerging young stars.
Verma has had deals with brands like Bank of Baroda and CEAT, while Ghosh has endorsed Puma and Boost. Sharma, too, has previously endorsed Boost. Sunday night’s game proved that women’s cricket also grabs eyeballs, with JioHotstar viewership reaching over 300 million viewers towards the end of the game, not to mention a packed DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai.
With the WPL a few months away, Shubhodip Pal, CEO of ITW Universe Integrated Marketing Services, expects that several of the young stars like Sharma and Verma will be in the consideration set in boardroom discussions about brand partnerships. He says that at least 3-4 brands will sign deals ahead of the WPL on the back of this historic World Cup win.
“Brands will take their time and find the right player when looking for endorsers, but this victory has definitely pushed these young players into the spotlight for the first time. The brands that move quickly ahead of next year’s WPL will have the first movers’ advantage,” adds Pal.
Surf Excel has been one of the quick movers, sending Rodrigues a frame for her soiled jersey and an empty laundry detergent bottle, reminding her that “some stains deserve to be framed”. The brand won applause on social media for its swift moment marketing effort.
JSW Sports’ Yadav adds that the real challenge is after the moment of glory fades. “For player managers and brands, this is the time to think long-term — to position these athletes beyond the sport. Instead of chasing only short-lived endorsement spikes or moment marketing, we need to craft narratives around who these athletes are as individuals,” he says.
While some observers expect the WPL ad rates and sponsorship fees to rise next year by a good 15-20%, Pal is cautious. Since the WPL will also coincide with the men’s ICC T20 World Cup, he expects that brands will probably distribute their ad budgets between the two events. It remains to be seen if advertisers will prioritise the women’s sport over the men’s T20 World Cup.
