With the trademark speed at which he runs singles,reaches fifties and,well,even got married,MS Dhoni has presented himself a wedding gift worth nearly Rs 200 crore in an endorsement and talent management deal that took him past Sachin Tendulkar in the corporate contract sweepstakes.
The India cricket captain,also the countrys most expensive sportsman,has snapped up a three-year deal with sports and talent management firms Rhiti Sports Management and Mindscapes One,said two people familiar with the development.The companies,through a joint venture,will manage Dhonis long list of endorsements and brand associations,corporate profile,patents and digital rights,images,visibility on social networking sites and merchandise,they said.
Tendulkar held the corporate contract crown earlier,thanks to a Rs 180-crore deal with sports management firm Iconix for three years in 2006.
Rhiti Sports is headed by Arun Pandey,a confidante and business associate of Dhoni,while Mindscapes One is owned by Pratik Sen who has been managing the cricketers endorsements for more than a year.
Sangeet Shirodkar,a familiar face in the sports management space,has been appointed as marketing president of the JV,the sources said.Dhoni apart,Rhiti Sports manages cricketers RP Singh and Harbhajan Singh.
Source: Times of India
