Indian cricket’s famously compatible captain and coach have firmed up their business ties. In a recent social media post, former Indian captain Virat Kohli announced a ‘fresh start’ with Sporting Beyond, a consultancy company that has player-turned-commentator Ravi Shastri as a stakeholder.
Kohli further said that a new team “will be working with me on all of my business interests.”
Confirming the association to The Indian Express, Shastri said Sporting Beyond acts as “advisors and consultants” to Indian and international companies and also the “talent” associated with it.
Kohli’s ‘fresh start’ is a sign of the 36-year-old batting great and a mega global brand is also looking to be a business entrepreneur, a move popular among aging sporting superstars. Retired English footballer David Beckham, with his close to $100 million business empire, is among the prominent athletes who managed the seamless corporate transition.
Easily the most-sought after ‘talent’ in the world of brand and advertising, the former Indian captain had parted ways with his long-time manager and business partner Bunty Sajdeh late last year. Kohli had been with Cornerstone, Sajdeh’s high-profile sports and entertainment consultancy that specialises in talent management, since his rookie days. Top Indian stars like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have been Cornerstone’s ‘talents’ in the past.
Reports put Kohli’s net worth at well over Rs 1,000 crore endorsing global corporate behemoths like Puma, MRF, Tissot, Pepsi, Colgate, Samsonite, Valvoline, Audi and PNB during his sparkling career.
Virat Kohli walks out for a practice session ahead of the Indian cricket team’s Test match against New Zealand at the Wankhede Stadium.
(Express Photo by Amit Chakravarty)
Virat Kohli’s diverse investment portfolio
Of late, he has also put together a diverse investment portfolio that includes insurance, plant-based meat and social networking start-ups, athleisure brands and a gym chain. Kohli is also a joint-owner of football and motorsport teams. He also has a stake in one coffee brand.
It’s in his backing of businesses that brings Sporting Beyond into the picture. The three-year-old company’s director Jaiveer Panwar explains how they aren’t really Kohli’s agents but their role is much more specific and nuanced.
“Sporting Beyond is not an agent for Virat. Rather, we provide him with advisory and consultancy services across all his business interests, and we will be working with him, with a dedicated team of specialists,” Panwar tells The Indian Express.
He further gives an idea about their association with world cricket’s most recognisable face. “We specialize in working with a range of clients – both multinational and domestic, whom we advise on investments in sports properties in India and internationally. Our role is to objectively introduce and advise them on the best sports properties and platforms to pursue and to be associated with, along with the right value for such assets,” he says.
About Shastri’s role he says, “Ravi has been a stakeholder for a while now. We have a highly specialized team with domain expertise. We have invested in building and creating our own Intellectual Properties. We have also recently forayed into creating sport content both live and non fiction in partnership with Banijay Asia.”
Like during his captaincy, in this new foray, Kohli will have Shastri as a consultant. As a player he has made it to the pantheon of greats and now he has a chance to join the other elite club that has Beckham, Roger Federer, Serena Williams, Michael Jordan and Cristiano Ronaldo. These are the smart sporting legends who multiplied the millions they earned during their sporting careers by investing wisely.
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