Punjab Kings Indian cricketer captain Shreyas Iyer watches the ball after taking a shot during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 match between Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on the outskirts of Chandigarh on March 31. NEW DELHI: According to a recent report by WPP Media, the sports celebrity market is valued at Rs 1,350 crore ($153 million), representing a 2.2-fold growth over the past four years. Cricket dominates the space, contributing 87 percent or 1,178 million rupees ($133 million), while other sports account for 173 million rupees ($20 million).“As the sophistication of sponsorship grows, athlete-led efforts continue to become institutionalized, suggesting a more coordinated approach to delivering value,” said the 13th edition of the ‘Sporting Nation: Building a Legacy’ report.
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Greenstone Lobo predicts IPL 2026 winnerIt continued: “This pattern is particularly evident among high-profile players who use their position to create well-engineered deals.”One example is Virat Kohli’s association with One8 and his strategic investment in becoming a co-owner of Agilitas Sports.As elite athletes identify their economic value, they have also begun to move away from traditional talent management agencies to directly manage their contracts through independent businesses or in-house offices managed by friends and family.“Athletes are increasingly seen as corporate entities rather than just represented talent,” the WPP Media report said.After a 12-year partnership with Reliance Industries’ RISE Worldwide, Hardik Pandya, one of India’s highest-paid cricketers, officially parted ways in November last year. “I’m excited to share that I’m officially launching my family office (Hardik Pandya Family Office) to consolidate all of my business activities, investments and off-field commitments into one unified version. It’s an important step towards building long-term meaningful opportunities on and off the field and I couldn’t be more excited about what lies ahead,” he said in a Nov. 26 post.Along with Hardik, his brother Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer have also left RIL’s sports and lifestyle business arm.
The career of a professional athlete is a race against time. At the age of 35, when most individuals pursuing successful careers in their fields are thinking about how to take their professional journey to the next level, the elite athlete begins to think about what to do next.
Shreyas Iyer | Captain Punjab Kings
Krunal is now managed by the same agency as Hardik. Ishan Kishan, who broke up in February this year, has his affairs managed by a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Iyer started 96 Degree to manage its affairs.“..The hunger to score runs and win championships remains the foundation of my life, my perspective has broadened,” Iyer, ODI vice-captain and captain of IPL franchise Punjab Kings, wrote in a WPP Media report.“The career of a professional athlete is a race against time. At 35, when most individuals pursuing a successful career in their fields are thinking about how to take their professional journey to the next level, an elite athlete begins to think about what to do next. Didn’t anyone say that sports are cruel?”
My early career experiences shaped my financial sobriety. My philosophy to wealth is deeply intertwined with the lessons I learned at 22 yards, discipline, patience and a thoughtful approach to risk.
Shreyas Iyer
“We earn most of our lifetime income in a shortened window. To do this effectively, we need to move from an ‘earnings’ mindset to a ‘generational value-building’ mindset.” I looked closely at global icons—athletes who went from being superstars to functioning as sophisticated investment platforms. They don’t just sign checks; own table with caps. ““My early career experiences shaped my financial sobriety. My philosophy to wealth is deeply intertwined with the lessons I learned at 22 yards, namely discipline, patience and a calculated approach to risk.”“Founding my own management firm ’96 Degree’ is not a departure from these relationships, but rather another chapter built on the strong foundation we have laid together. It is a transition from ‘managed talent’ to independent business,” he continued, thanking those at RISE Worldwide.“I hope this move will inspire younger athletes to think financially from the start. We need more financial education for athletes in India, away from ‘advice from friends’ to entrepreneurial excellence,” he added.
In non-cricket, this trend of leaving (traditional) agencies and starting your own individual thing does not exist. Neeraj is an exceptional case. Otherwise, 99.9% of athletes are managed by one of the other bigger agencies
Rahul Trehan, COO iOS Sports and Entertainment
Other notable cricketers who keep things independent or their own are Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant and Sanju Samson. Before this young bunch, Sunil Gavaskar (PMG Sports), Sachin Tendulkar (SRT Sports Management) and MS Dhoni (Midas Deals) also managed their own commercial interests.An industry insider said another major reason elite athletes are leaving traditional agencies is that they can better control their affairs rather than jostling for deals with their peers. For some, the dividends are already visible as they reap support at three times previous values.
Neeraj Chopra is an anomaly
The trend is not limited to cricket. Two-time Olympic medalist and world champion Neeraj Chopra ended his ten-year association with JSW Sports and started his own management agency Vel Sports earlier this year.But Neeraj is a one-off in the non-cricket space.“In non-cricket, this trend of leaving (traditional) agencies and starting one’s own individual thing does not exist. Neeraj is an exceptional case. Otherwise, 99.9% of athletes are managed by one of the other bigger agencies,” said Rahul Trehan, COO of IOS Sports and Entertainment.Their list includes several Olympic medallists: Vijender Singh (boxing), Anju Bobby George (athlete), Mirabai Chanu (weightlifting), Hardik Singh, Manpreet Singh (hockey) and Lovlina Borgohain (boxing).
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He pointed out that non-cricket athletes have reason to be cautious as the market for them is volatile and cyclical depending on marquee events.“Cricket is a sport where there is a regular dose of spectators. In non-cricket events there are fewer and in most cases there is no live television. So the recall value is higher in cricket than in non-cricket,” explained Trehan.“In cricket, one tap can increase the value of your brand. But in non-cricket competitions, there are fewer and it’s mostly a game in a four-year cycle. The Olympics is the biggest event for them.”“If you see Manu Bhaker, she was in the limelight after the (Paris) Olympics. Now the market is slow for her again. Every Olympics we have a new star. In 2016, it was Sakshi Malik; Deepa Karmakar was also there. Neeraj got good offers after the Tokyo Olympics. Manpreet (Singh) didn’t get good deals… it’s not like cricket…
