One of the biggest names in the Indian cricket fraternity, known from when he was a young talent to becoming a legend, is Virat Kohli. The ex-captain of the Indian cricket team and the highest-paid cricketer in the world, Virat has come a long way from being just a Delhi boy to a common household name and an inspiration to millions.
But do you know Virat Kohli is also a sharp businessman, spreading his investments in different start-ups, ventures and brands of his own? Well, if you think Virat just endorses some of the popular brands in the world, then you are wrong.
Let us go through this blog to get details on Virat Kohli’s business list, the brands he owns, the brands he has invested in and the ones he endorses.
Being the third most followed athlete on Instagram, with a total of approximately 264 million followers, Virat Kohli has garnered the attention of people with not only his cricketing achievements but also the brands he owns. Virat Kohli's business list in terms of his ownership is One8 and WROGN.
Virat started One8 as a sportswear brand and slowly diversified the business to a chain of restaurants named One8 Commune. Moreover, in 2017, Kohli inked a deal with PUMA to collaborate with his sportswear brand One8, and sneakers were the first in this collection. Presently, this collaboration not only features sneakers but also other products for men, women and kids.
However, when it comes to WROGN, Virat has made sure to provide the country with one of the best fashion brands, which is fit for all. As the company name suggests, WROGN is all about breaking the conventional fashion statement and style and bringing uniqueness to all. This brand is managed by Universal Sportsbiz Pvt Ltd (USPL) and recently became the sponsor of one of the most followed and loved IPL teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
The 35-year-old cricket sensation and one of the most loved sportspersons in the world, Virat Kohli, has a whopping net worth of over Rs.1,050 crore as per 1st June 2024.
Kohli falls under the player category of “A+” in the Indian cricket team, which draws him an annual salary of Rs.7 crore from BCCI. When it comes to match fees, he gets Rs.15 lakhs for every test match, Rs.6 lakhs for every ODI match, and Rs.3 lakhs for every T20 game. Moreover, RCB has retained Virat with an annual salary of Rs.15 crore.
Apart from his cricketing earnings, Virat Kohli’s business list is related to investing in several start-ups and ventures and owning a few brands that help him earn quite a lot each year. It is also reported that Kohli charges a whopping sum of Rs.7.50 crore to Rs.10 crore for brand endorsements.
In addition, Virat's residential properties in Gurugram and Mumbai are worth Rs.80 crores and Rs.34 crores respectively. Moreover, he recently bought two plots in Alibaug at a combined value of Rs.20 crores.
When it comes to businesses and brands owned or invested by the cricketing maestro Virat Kohli, he has proved himself as a worthy investor. Beyond the cricketing pitch, Kohli has strategically invested in several start-ups as well as invested money into forming and developing his own companies, propelling his present net worth to more than Rs.1,000 crores.
Virat Kohli’s business list, as per his ownership and investment, is as follows:
Blue Tribe is a startup that offers plant-based meat products to provide a healthy alternative to animal meat. Both Virat and Anushka invested in this start-up to scale up their business.
In March 2022, this New Delhi-based coffee brand received an undisclosed amount as an investment from Virat Kohli. Rage Coffee is expected to use Virat's investment to scale up its production, launch better and new products and market uniquely.
Owned by Virat Kohli himself, One8 started as a premium athleisure brand, which has now diversified its line of business. The cricketer has opened a chain of restaurants all over India under the name ‘One8 Commune’ and recently collaborated with PUMA to launch sneakers.
This is a start-up company aimed at providing wellness products and services to customers. As per reports, Kohli invested an undisclosed amount in the company, helping the business to grow further.
Virat teamed up with Chisel Fitness and CSE in 2015 to embark on a journey of fitness, fitness centres and establishing gyms all over the country. It is reported that he invested Rs.90 crores in this company to leave a mark in the country's fitness industry.
As a strategic move, Virat, along with his wife Anushka Sharma, invested Rs.2.2 crores in Digit Insurance. Kohli’s foresight towards this company has helped Digit to secure a strong position in the Indian insurance market.
In 2020, the cricket star invested an amount of Rs.19.3 crore in Universal Sportsbiz Pvt. Ltd., following the path of his cricket idol, Sachin Tendulkar. This is a fashion enterprise that is continuously diversifying its portfolio into sports-inspired fashion trends.
WROGN is all about breaking the conventional fashion statement and style and bringing uniqueness to all. Virat owns this brand and recently became the sponsor of the IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Apart from investing in start-ups related to fashion and fitness, Virat also showed a keen interest in investing his money in a Bengaluru-based startup company in the gaming industry. In early 2019, Kohli invested in Galactus Funware Technology Pvt. Ltd. and procured debenture worth Rs.33.42 lakhs.
One of the well-known football clubs in the Indian Super League, FC Goa, is owned by some of the well-known industrialists along with Virat. The cricketer has a 12% stake in FC Goa, helping to increase his business wealth with the returns from the club.
Virat and actress Anushka Sharma have launched Nueva Restaurant in RK Puram, Delhi, serving delectable South American delicacies to all.
Founded in 2014, Sports Convo is a Tech startup in the social networking field related to sports. The main purpose is for the fans to have conversations with one another and at times, with some well-known sports stars. Along with world football star Gareth Bale, Virat is also a company shareholder.
Co-owned by Adi K Mishra, Team Blue Rising is the latest addition to Virat's investment. This UAE team for the E1 World Championship focuses on bringing the message of sustainability, innovation, technology and conservation in the world's first series of ‘all-electric’ race boats.
Besides owning and investing his money into several businesses, Virat Kohli is a prime choice for most reputed brands in India to endorse their company. You may have seen him endorsing brands on TV, but the list is much longer than what your eyes see.
Below, we have a curated list of brands that Virat endorses, except for the companies he already owns and invests in:
Virat Kohli associated with Myntra along with his wife Anushka Sharma to endorse this leading lifestyle and fashion application. With his infectious passion and energy, Virat ensured that he embodied the essence of Myntra’s purpose to express themselves through fashion while endorsing the brand.
Puma signed Kohli back in 2017 with a whopping Rs.110 crore deal of eight years to endorse their brand. Virat also launched the One8 range of sneakers in association with Puma. The brand's market position in India not only elevated after its association with Virat but also showed their belief in Kohli's unwavering dedication and talent to every sports enthusiast.
A leading global financial and banking company, HSBC, signed Virat as their brand ambassador in 2023. This collaboration aligns with the shared values for excellence, determination and integrity of both the cricketing icon and HSBC. The bank also launched ‘My Accounts Starts Today’ campaign that features Kohli, highlighting the proposition of the bank to ‘open up a world of opportunity’.
In December 2022, Virat was signed as the brand ambassador of Noise, a fresh, tech-driven and one of the most popular brands in India. This collaboration aims to empower everyone to push and unleash their full potential, just as Virat does on the field.
The cricketing icon was roped in by Star Sports in 2023 as the brand ambassador for IPL (Indian Premier League) ad campaign ‘Shor On, Game On’. The focus of this collaboration is to entice excitement among Indian cricket fans to watch the different sports broadcasted live on TV, including IPL, Men's ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 and various other series.
MPL, or Mobile Premier League, successfully partnered with Virat in 2019 with a deal of Rs.12 crores to endorse their online gaming platform. This collaboration turned out to be a huge success, leading to a renewal of the contract. Presently, he is seen in the ads of MPL's campaign ‘Darr Ko Hatao, Bada Khel Jao’, exemplifying the commitment of MPL to provide a secure gaming platform for all.
A testament to marketing excellence was visible, with Philips roping Virat as their brand ambassador to promote male grooming itineraries. Kohli’s ad campaign with Philips helps to inspire men to embrace the personal grooming process and look their best with confidence.
A multinational home appliance organisation, Blue Star, approached Virat in 2019 and signed him as the brand ambassador. Blue Star aims to incorporate innovation in its products to enhance customer satisfaction. So, this partnership is helping the brand to get high brand visibility and goodwill.
The cricket sensation partnered with Audi, a premium automotive brand in the world, in 2015. Again, in 2021, Audi extended their association as a brand ambassador with Virat. This association aligns with Kohli's charismatic persona and Audi's performance and luxury. Being a brand ambassador, Virat helped Audi strengthen its position among Indian buyers.
In 2016, a well-known ethnic wear brand, Manyavar, declared Virat their brand ambassador to glorify Indian traditions through elegance and style, just as he does with his batting skills. An ad campaign with Virat - ‘Adha-Adha’ highlighted the beautiful journey of marriage and togetherness, which significantly impacted the Indian audience and led to enhancing its goodwill.
Toothsi, an oral hygiene brand, approached the power couple Virat and Anushka to promote oral care and hygiene among all. As brand ambassadors of the company, both exemplify the importance of dental confidence, as well as wellness with a healthy smile to charm all.
Great Learning is an ed-tech organisation that declared Virat Kohli as their brand ambassador, creating a significant buzz among all. The organisation incorporated the influential persona of Kohli to inspire everyone to upskill themselves for better growth and the future.
If you are a fan of healthy snacks, then we are sure you have heard of Too Yumm. Well, the company announced Kohli as their brand ambassador in 2018 to promote their products. As a fitness freak, Virat is too particular about what he eats and endorses. So promoting Too Yumm became an instant hit among Indian customers, raising the brand value significantly in recent years.
Luxor, a well-known brand in the field of writing instruments, declared Kohli as its brand ambassador at the beginning of 2023. The icon perfectly showcases Luxor's commitment to offering top-quality writing instruments to help all articulate their ideas and thoughts.
Volini, a part of Sun Pharma Consumer Healthcare, signed with Virat in 2018 to endorse their product. Kohli's unwavering commitment and influence towards fitness helped Volini to attract a large group of customers and strengthen its position in the market.
In 2019, a health supplement brand, Wellman, roped in Virat to endorse their products. We know how particular Virat is about his fitness, and watching him promote the health supplements by Wellman is helping the company attract a significant customer base.
Vivo is a renowned brand in the smartphone industry of India that collaborated with Virat Kohli to endorse their latest smartphones. His way of endorsing the products has helped derive a significant craze among Indian mobile phone buyers, creating a wider reach for the brand’s products.
In 2023, Duroflex partnered with the cricket star to launch their campaign, ‘Great Sleep, Great Health’. As the brand ambassador of Duroflex, Virat focuses on sending the message of how important rest and sleep are for a person to maintain their well-being and enhance mental and physical health.
The renowned international brand American Tourister partnered up with Virat Kohli as their brand ambassador in the Indian market in 2016-2017. Recently, the brand started a campaign, ‘Born To Cross Boundaries’, with the cricketer challenging people to unleash their adventurous side and explore the unknown by keeping the brand’s products close to themselves.
Shyam Steel is endorsed by the star couple Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, with the campaign ‘Hamesha Ke Liye Strong’. Everyone loves Virat and Anushka as a couple, and the motto of Shyam Steel perfectly aligns with the relationship the couple showcases. Their pairing became an instant hit for Shyam Steel TMT Bars as they received huge popularity among Indian users after the campaign.
In 2022, the most searched athlete in India was roped in as the brand ambassador for Avas Living. It is a luxurious residential community-based in Alibaug. As Virat is known for his commitment and compassion within the community, the brand's core aim is automatically fulfilled by Virat endorsing them.
India’s cricketing superstar and MRF Tyres joined hands in 2015 with a deal of Rs.8 crore each year to endorse the brand. After recognising his impact on the business, MRF decided to continue this partnership with success and trust. Presently, he encashes Rs.12.5 crore each year by endorsing MRF Tyres.
O'cean Beverages, under Ball Corporation, collaborated with Virat Kohli to endorse the products of the brand. The company offers hydration drinks and energising beverages to its customers and being a fitness enthusiast, the face of the Indian cricket team endorsing the brand has garnered a lot of attention among Indian customers, helping the brand to grow.
In 2023, the well-known French eye-wear brand Essilor roped in Virat as their brand ambassador to endorse their products in the Indian market. As per the reports of the deal, Essilor will be rolling out a multi-media campaign featuring the cricketing star to bring life to the value proposition of the brand.
In June 2023, Batwrap, an Australian sports equipment brand, enlisted Kohli as a brand ambassador. The collaboration resulted in the introduction of the ‘Virat Kohli Electric Blue’ collection. This line by Batwrap enables users to enhance their existing bats or customise new ones using advanced lightweight materials for a personalised appearance.
The power couple Anushka and Virat also act in the ad campaigns of LivSpace. It is an Indian interior designing company focused on providing the best products to equip the interiors of your home. Their innovative marketing campaign with the couple has attracted a lot of customers and thus strengthened the brand value of the business in the market.
Herbalife is a global nutrition company aiming to increase wellness and promote a healthy lifestyle. They renewed the collaboration with Virat in 2021 to endorse their products in the market. Being a fitness lover, the promotion of Herbalife aligned with his values and beliefs, significantly leading to the business’s success.
In September 2018, Hero MotoCorp enlisted Virat Kohli to endorse its ‘Xtreme 200R’ motorcycle. To kick off the bike sales, Virat was the perfect choice to endorse it. Hero MotoCorp's Chairman, MD, and CEO, Pawan Munjal, stated that Kohli's qualities aligned with the brand and reflected the fearless attitude of the youth, encapsulated by the tagline ‘Fear Nothing’.
Virat Kohli is one of the most loved cricketers not only in India but also all over the world. Breaking Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar's record by scoring his 50th ODI century in the World Cup 2023 Semis, the 35-year-old right-hand batsman has achieved almost everything a cricketer can wish for. However, Virat also dominates the endorsement and investment game, stepping into new business ventures with each passing day.
Virat Kohli, an iconic cricketer, owns businesses like One8 and WROGN, investing in startups and various brands. His net worth exceeds Rs.1,000 crores. Brands include Blue Tribe, Rage Coffee, Philips, and Audi. Virat endorses Myntra, Puma, Philips, and more, aiding companies to enhance brand visibility and market appeal.