5 Cricketers Who Became Successful Entrepreneurs
Here is the moment that the fans of Indian cricket team have been waiting for. India is playing against Australia in the Super 8 match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia at 8 PM IST. Rohit Sharma’s men have a chance not only to maintain their victory but also to knock Australia out of the T20 World Cup 2024 and avenge their heartbreaking defeat in the 2023 ODI World Cup final. Despite creating these finger-biting moments, the cricket legends have set their blaze in the entrepreneurial sector by recognizing them as prominent entrepreneurs. Here are the 5 Cricketers who have become successful businessmen.
Virat Kohli
The current Indian cricketer Virat Kohli is at the top of the charts in his business empire. Helming is one of the best hitters of his time, and Kohli is an absolute superstar. Brands are getting lined up one after another behind his name. But the Delhi boy didn't stop there, and he started a company, too. When Virat signed the Puma contract, interestingly, he established a new brand with his associations. The One8 brand, based on the number 18 jersey, is the leading sportswear brand today. Even Virat introduced this brand and opened a multi-kitchen restaurant called One8commune with Nueva owned by Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma.
Kholi is very particular in the fashion sense as well; he owns shares of Wrogn, a clothing and accessories brand. Being one of the fittest athletes, he has opened Chisel, a Bengaluru-based gym. Apart from these, Blue Tribe, a plant-based meat product company, Digit, and FC Goa are the other business ventures owned by Kohli.
MS Dhoni
Former India World Cup-winning Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is a smart businessman. With his innovative ideas, Dhoni is creating a watermark in the field of business. He invested funds in different business ventures and built an empire around his brand.
In 2016, Dhoni got together with the casual and sportswear brand Seven, and MS was doing advertisements as well. In 2021, he was appointed as a brand ambassador for 7Inkbrews. Besides, Dhoni has a stake in the food and beverage D2C Company. He is the major investor in Khatabook. Together with his old friend and business partner Arun Pandey Dhoni, he launched a gym chain, SportsFit World.
MS stepped into the film business, and Dhoni Entertainment Private Limited was preparing to become a production company. And they are all ready to present their first film, which was launched by the poster himself. Keeping in mind the popularity of the southward Dhoni in the future, this production always has a close monitoring of the fans.
Sachin Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar has been linked to various brands since Mark Mascarenhas entered his world around the mid-1990s. His connection with brands began in cricket, and Sachin was right there, observing the change in the sport. Although Sachin was promoting brands, he didn't venture into major business projects until 2000. After that, he launched a restaurant called Tendulkar's with a large corporate entity.
However, because of the lackluster reaction from the clientele, they were forced to shut down in 2009. Following Sachin's decision to retire from cricket, he began to put his money into various ventures. He put his faith in Smaaash, a facility that offers immersive experiences through virtual reality in sports and gaming. Additionally, a startup focused on Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Smartron, received financial backing from SRT, and subsequently, Sachin took on the role of its brand ambassador.
In 2021, Sachin's most recent significant connection was with Unacademy. It was also mentioned that he put a secret sum of money into this educational technology company. Currently, this EdTech is experiencing a surge in sales. Additionally, Tendulkar continues to invest in new ventures such as JetSynthesys and Spinny.
Virender Sehwag
In his time, 'Nawab of Najafgarh' was the perfect entertainer on the cricket ground. With a high-flying six and crawling on all fours, he entertained the audience with the best scenes. After Virender Sehwag called it quits from the gentlemen’s game, he started entertaining the fans off the field, too. With an incredible sense of humor in his tweets, he became the king of the Twitter platform.
In addition to enjoying a taste of success as a cricketer, he set entrepreneurial goals and started his business ventures as well. Sehwag owns a restaurant named ‘Sehwag's Favourites’ and he has also invested a lot in the Sewag International School in Haryana, which places more importance on the education of the country.
Yuvraj Singh
India's 2-time World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh is the latest participant in this list. The former Indian all-rounder has announced his retirement during the Cricket World Cup 2019. From that time on, he invested his time to build his business, but he started his entrepreneurial journey the way before that. Being a cancer survivor himself, he set up an organization named YouWeCan, which has helped hundreds of cancer patients over the years. With an exclusive partnership with Microsoft, the venture will earn revenue and invest in a new era of startups. These investments range from the health-based company Healthians to the virtual reality company Holosuite.
Yuvi's extensive spectrum of interests and ventures has solidified his position as a formidable entrepreneur. One notable endeavor is his establishment of sports365.in, an online store specializing in sports equipment. In addition to this, Yuvraj himself serves as a brand ambassador for renowned companies, further enhancing his diverse portfolio.