New Delhi: World No. 6 women’s singles player PV Sindhu has signed an endorsement deal with Li-Ning that worth up to USD $7 million for four years.
This was Li-Ning’s second stint with Sindhu, where it had endorsed Sindhu for two years from 2014 to 2015, paying Sindhu approximately USD$187k per year. In 2016, Sindhu switched to Yonex for approximately USD $515,000 per year for a three-year period.
“We are happy to be signed with Sindhu once again. Sindhu will get Rs 40 crore (USD 5.6 million) as sponsorship, while rest will be for equipment, so it’s close to Rs 50 crore (USD 7 million),” said a representative from Sunlight Sports Pvt Ltd, a partner of Li-Ning in India.
In early January of 2019, Li-Ning also closed a four-year deal with India’s World No. 7 men’s singles player Kidambi Srikanth that worth USD $5 million.
According Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athlete in 2018, Sindhu who rose to stardom after becoming the first Indian woman to win an Olympic silver medal, ranked seventh on the list alongside big names such as Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, with total prize money won of USD $500,000 and total USD $8 million came from endorsements.
Her endorsement deals included Bridgestone, Gatorade, Nokia, Panasonic, Reckitt Benckiser and others, of course, now Li-Ning has become the 14th product endorsed by Sindhu.
