Smriti Mandhana among top 10 global female athletes for sponsorship value on social media

Sportico and KORE releases a study, ranking athletes according to their sponsorship value on social media; Smriti Mandhana, Indian cricket team opener, ranks among the top 10 athletes.

Smriti Mandhana, the ace Indian women’s cricket team opener, has been ranked among the top 10 athletes in the world by sponsorship value on social media, according to a recent study released by Sportico and KORE.  

KORE measured more than 19 million posts across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, Weibo, and VK of various athletes across leagues and teams to quantify the sponsorship value on social media through its adjusted ad value (AAV) metric, which factors in multiple elements like the platform, engagement, positioning, clarity and promotional quality of imagery and text in social media posts.

The detailed study determined that with over 7.7 million followers on Instagram alone, Smriti has become a sought-after brand ambassador for several leading companies. Smriti is currently working with some of the top brands like Hero MotoCorp, Nike, Red Bull, Gulf Oil, Herbalife, Hyundai to name a few. Social media performance across her digital platforms saw more than 61 million engagements in 2022 and the swashbuckling batter has combined following of more than 14.8 million, securing the 9th spot for her among all female athletes in the world, making her the only Women cricketer to be in top 10 athletes. The list also features some of the biggest names in the world of women's sports like the all-time tennis great Serena Williams, freestyle skier Eileen Gu, American Motorsport racing driver Hailie Deegan to name a couple who have all been working with some of the top brands like Nike, Louis Vuitton, Gatorade, Boss, Tiffany & Co etc.  

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Tuhin Mishra, Managing Director & Co-Founder, Baseline Ventures, who exclusively manages Smriti said, “Mandhana's success on social media has helped to raise the profile of women’s cricket in India and around the world. Her strong performances on the field and her engaging personality off the field have made her a role model for young girls aspiring to make a mark in the world of sports. We expect these numbers to swell even further as we believe it adds more value for the brands that partner with Smriti over the years.”  

Smriti has been a prominent figure in the Indian cricketing circuit for several years and has represented the country in several international tournaments. She has won several accolades for her performances, including the Arjuna Award in 2019, Women's Cricketer of the Year 2019 & 2021, the Wisden Woman Cricketer of the year 2019, ICC Women's ODI Cricketer of the year 2018. Most recently the Indian Opener was also sold to RCB for USD 413K, the highest bid for any player in the first edition of the Women’s Premier League 2023.