- Virat Kohli becomes the first Indian to reach 50 million followers on Instagram, leaving behind Priyanka Chopra, who stands at 49.9 million.
Not that followers of social media are the only factor in assessing or quantifying the influence of a brand, but they do play an important role in evaluating the effect a personality has on individuals. It turns out, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has reached a new milestone in his Instagram innings.
The 31-year-old cricketer has become the first Indian to reach 50 million followers on the app, leaving behind Priyanka Chopra, who stands at 49.9 million. The actress Deepika Padukone is taking the third spot, with 44.1 million followers.
The Indian captain is on the forum with 930 posts and is following 480 men. On the other hand, our very own’ desi kid,’ has a whopping 3,056 posts and 505 followers.
The Indian cricket team is all set to take on New Zealand on February 21 in the two-match Test series.
The 30-year-old, who is also India’s most valuable celebrity, is not only known for breaking records on the cricket ground but is also roaring off the field, toping the brand valuation list for the third year in a row as its value rose by an impressive 39 percent to $237.5 million last year.
Overall, with more than 200 million followers led by singer Ariana Grande (175 M followers) and Hollywood actor Dwayne Johnson with 172 million followers, Cristiano Ronaldo is the world’s most popular celebrity on Instagram.
Meanwhile, Kohli took to Instagram on Tuesday (February 18) to share a video of himself from New Zealand to thank his fans for their love and support in getting to the new milestone.
Recently, For the third year in succession, Virat Kohli has emerged as India’s biggest celebrity brand. The brand value was double that of Akshay Kumar’s next best celebrity. The brand value of Kohli rose by 39 percent in 2019 to $237.5 million.
The brand of the Indian captain was valued at $237.5 million, the most among cricketers. The Kumar brand was worth $104.5 million. The figures were compiled through the study on Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation.
Kohli was one of the four cricketers in the top-20 list with MS Dhoni finishing in ninth. The former Indian skipper made a three-place jump from the 12th position last year.
Kohli is the highest-paid sports celebrity in the country. He has an Rs. 110-crore deal with German sports brand Puma for one8-branded footwear, apparel, and accessories. Apart from apparels, one8 has signed licensing agreements for more products such as fragrances, packaged water, flavored and vitamin waters, and energy drinks.