There is a new set of sports stars on billboards now

There's a new breed of sportspersons on the endorsement circuit, although it may be a while before they give cricketers a run for their money. Gold medallist athlete Hima Das, the newest backer of sportswear giant Adidas, is set to be named as the face of two more brands over the next fortnight.

Table tennis player Manika Batra was signed as the brand ambassador of global nutrition company Herbalife last week and two brands are in talks with her agency. Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu is now associated with financial services company Edelweiss. "Emerging sportspersons from outside of cricket have created a new wave of success stories — they are world beaters, consistent, glamorous, humble and controversy-free," said Tuhin Mishra, managing director at sports marketing company Baseline Ventures.

Baseline Ventures represents badminton champions PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, billiards player Pankaj Advani and racing driver Arjun Maini. Although the new crop of sportspersons earn much less than leading cricketers, managers say they get good recall. "Sustainability is the key. The market value of an athlete depends on her or his performance. It's like the stock market and the market creates their valuation by itself," said Neerav Tomar, managing director of IOS Sports & Entertainment, which represents Das and Batra.

Besides the three-year contract with Adidas, IOS Sports is in talks with four brands in insurance, nutrition, banking and cement for Das. "Corporates help in promoting sports. When brands advertise with sports players, it inspires people to be part of and play sport," Das had said in an interview with ET last week. Last month, Forbes magazine named Sindhu as the world's seventh-highest paid sportswoman, with $8 million of her income from endorsements. At 23, her on-court earnings were $500,000 between June 2017 and June 2018, Forbes says. She has surpassed many cricketers, except blue chip league players Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.

Batra, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist, joins players including Kohli as the face of Herbalife. She also endorses Edelweiss Financial Services and Stag sports equipment. Her management agency, IOS, is talking to two brands in the packaged food and energy drink space. Chanu, who won gold at the Commonwealth Games this year, may be roped in for a textile brand's CSR division and sportswear brand. Saina Nehwal has been endorsing Edelweiss, Herbalife, Huawei Honor and Savlon antiseptic.