Virat Kohli India’s most valuable celebrity fourth year in a row

Indian cricketer Virat Kohli retained the top position as India's most valuable celebrity in 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic with a brand value of over $237 million (Rs 1,727.86 cr)

According to the findings of the sixth edition of 'Celebrity Brand Valuation Study 2020' by Duff & Phelps. Virat Kohli retained the top position for the fourth consecutive year.

The rankings determine the most powerful celebrity brands based on their product endorsement portfolio and social media presence. This year the rankings also took into account the coronavirus, which took a toll on the celebrity endorsement space.

Actor Akshay Kumar stood in second place with a brand value of nearly $119 million, a 13 per cent jump from 2019 despite the pandemic.

Actors Ranveer Singh, Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone stood in the third, fourth and fifth places.

Others among the top ten included Alia Bhatt, Ayushmann Khurrana, Salman Khan, Amitabh Bachchan and Hritik Roshan.

“While established celebrities continue to dominate our rankings, notable millennials with a strong social media presence continue to climb the ladder. Ayushmann Khurrana, Tiger Shroff and Rohit Sharma all jumped a few spots to grab the No. 6, No. 15 and No. 17 spots, respectively. Further, Kartik Aaryan debuts on our list at No. 20. These rising millennial celebrities were in greater demand during the pandemic owing to their popularity among the youth,” said Aviral Jain, Managing Director, Duff & Phelps.

The overall brand value of the top 20 celebrities was pegged at approximately $1 billion, a dip of about 5 per cent from last year.