New Delhi: India’s ace badminton player Saina Nehwal has become the top female sports endorser.
She has now inked a deal with Kellogg, after Iodex, Yonex, Bajaj Nomarks.
World Number 2 in women’s singles, Nehwal, signed the two-year deal pegged at around Rs 1.5 crore, outpacing tennis star Sania Mirza and boxer Mary Kom.
A spokesperson of Kellogg India confirmed the deal with Nehwal but further details are still behind the curtains.
“Kellogg is looking for a repositioning exercise with Saina… the advertising is likely to break next month,” one of the associate familiar with the development said.
Nehwal has also endorsed Indian Overseas Bank and the Sahara group.
National director of sports and live events at GroupM ESP, Vinit Karnik, told ET Saina is the highest paid woman sportsperson in India.
“Sania Mirza’s endorsement fee used to be the highest till about five years back. But Saina has been far more visible on the circuit, which is what brands look for,” he added.
However, few managers believe that gap between earnings of male and female sportstars still remains wide.
Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni charges over Rs 10 crore for brand endorsement and Virat Kohli’s fee is Rs 5-6 crores.