Dec. 8: India’s cricket captain M.S. Dhoni cemented his position as the world’s top earning player on Wednesday with another multi-million-dollar endorsement deal. Dhoni, 29, inked a $6.5 million-dollar contract to be the face of Indian mobile phone company Maxx Mobile on Tuesday, four days after agreeing to a $5.7 million deal with Vijay Mallya’s United Breweries, officials said.
“Maxx believes in Dhoni’s potential, and the performance that he has delivered over the years is a testimony to his talent,” Maxx Group boss Ajay Agarwal was quoted as saying. While the Maxx deal is spread over seven years, the contract for the United Breweries group — who own Kingfisher airlines — is for three years, reports said. The two agreements are part of a record $42-million marketing deal the popular Indian captain signed with sports management firm Rhiti in July.
Rhiti’s two-year deal gave it the right to handle Dhoni’s endorsements, merchandise, corporate profile, patents and digital rights, as well as visibility on social networking sites.
The deal, the richest in Indian cricket history, surpassed batting superstar Sachin Tendulkar’s $40-million contract with sports management firm Iconix. Dhoni, once regarded as India’s most eligible bachelor, married Sakshi Singh Rawat in July.
The Indian skipper reportedly endorses 24 leading brands, including Pepsi, Reebok, Aircel, Godrej and Hersheys.