New Delhi: Virat Kohli, who recently struck a whooping Rs. 110 crore deal with sports merchandise giant Puma, is cashing in on his popularity like no one else previously had. The Indian skipper, making the most of his popularity, has increased his endorsement fees to Rs. 5 crores per day.


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The fee is highest charged by any celebrity in the country, surpassing the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and even MS Dhoni, who used to charge between Rs. 3-3.5 crore during his peak brand value. In doing so, the the 28-year-old Delhi lad has probably put himself close to the recognition and brand value like that of international sports stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Roger Federer.


Kohli has been charging between between Rs 2.5 crore and Rs 4 crore a day but the amount is set to shoot after the renewal of his endorsement deal with cola maker PepsiCo, which is presently being negotiated, gets finalised.


Speaking about Kohli's renewal with PepsiCo, Cornerstone Sport, his sports management firm's spokesperson was quoted saying by Economic Times, "Virat is contracted with Pepsi until April 30. We are currently negotiating a contract extension with the Pepsi-Co team," Cornerstone Sport CEO Bunty Sajdeh said. "Pepsi has been one of our longest and most fruitful associations until now and hopefully we will collaborate with them for years to come."


"We look forward to continuing our long and meaningful association with him," the spokesperson of PepsiCo confirmed.


Though Kohli is reportedly undecided on renewing the deal considering the health concerns associated with colas, but if he goes ahead, he will not just surpass what Dhoni used to charg, but Bollywood biggies Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor as well.