WPL 2026 ad budgets rise 30-50%; Mandhana, Kaur, Rodrigues emerge top endorsers

New Delhi: As the Women’s Premier League (WPL) 2026 begins today, January 9, the commercial ecosystem around women’s cricket is entering the season on noticeably firmer footing. 

From player endorsements to advertising rates and brand budgets, the league is seeing a broad-based repricing, one that reflects both recent on-field success and a growing belief among advertisers that women’s cricket is no longer an experimental bet.

Industry executives and advertisers estimate that endorsement fees for leading Indian women cricketers have risen by 20-30%. 

Advertising rates around the league are up by around 30%, while brand budgets allocated to women’s cricket have expanded by 30-50% compared to earlier editions.

World Cup win and growing reach drive value

This repricing follows India’s recent World Cup win and a sharp rise in WPL reach and viewership over the past year. Industry estimates indicate that WPL reach grew by around 80% in 2025, sponsors increased from roughly 10 to over 15, and viewership is expected to grow by more than 60% during the 2026 season.

“Leading Indian women cricketers such as Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur, Shafali Verma, and Deepti Sharma are well positioned to see a 20-30% uplift in their individual brand value over the near term, driven by rising media exposure, deeper fan engagement, and a steadily expanding endorsement ecosystem,” said Umakanta Panigrahi, Managing Director, Valuation Services, Kroll.

Within that group, Mandhana continues to stand apart commercially. Panigrahi described her as the most marketable face of Indian women’s cricket, citing a mature portfolio of partnerships that includes brands such as Herbalife, Hyundai, ICICI Bank, and MadRabbit. 

Harmanpreet Kaur, meanwhile, has significantly strengthened her own endorsement profile, with high-visibility associations such as CREX and Hapipola adding to her appeal, Panigrahi observed.

New models of brand association

New forms of association are also emerging alongside traditional endorsement deals. Panigrahi explained, “Women-focused helmet brand Tvarra has brought Indian cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues on board as an investor partner, marking an equity-led association rather than a traditional celebrity endorsement.” 

Together, Mandhana and Kaur already endorse more than 25 brands, a figure Panigrahi expects to rise by another 20-30%. A key factor behind this momentum is their digital influence. Mandhana has a social media following of over 22 million, while Kaur has around 6 million followers and Rodrigues roughly 4 million. 

This growing parity in digital reach, Panigrahi explained, is increasingly influencing endorsement decisions, especially for digital-first, youth-focused, and D2C brands.

From a pricing standpoint, top-tier women cricketers are currently commanding endorsement fees in the range of Rs 1-2 crore per annum, with further appreciation expected after WPL 2026, Panigrahi added.

Brands see WPL as a serious engagement platform

From a media buying standpoint, WPL 2026 marks a clear shift in how the league is being viewed by advertisers. “Following the Indian team’s recent World Cup victory, an increasing number of new advertisers are now coming on board to explore first-time WPL associations and franchise-led integrations,” said Kalyanram Challapalli, Founder, Wolfzhowl Media.

The league, he emphasised, is no longer being treated as an experiment but as a serious engagement platform.

Audience composition has played a central role in this shift. Challapalli pointed out that WPL reach rose by around 80% in 2025, with nearly 60% of viewership coming from male audiences. Growth, however, is being driven largely by younger viewers, particularly those aged 15 to 22, making the league especially attractive for brands targeting youth segments ahead of WPL 2026.

Rising commercial rates and expanding budgets

The increase in advertiser interest has translated into higher commercial rates this season. “Post the World Cup, the WPL is seeing a strong premium shift, sponsors have increased from 10 to 15-plus, ad rates are up around 30%, and viewership is expected to grow by over 60%,” Challapalli noted.

Brand spending has followed suit. According to Challapalli, advertisers are increasing their budgets for WPL and women’s cricket by 30-50%. Team sponsorship revenues have grown by about 10% this year, while player endorsements have jumped by well over 25% following the World Cup success, he added.

The advertiser mix itself is also broadening. While FMCG, beverages, and consumer technology continue to be strong categories, this season has attracted new sponsors from BFSI, fintech and payments, auto and ancillaries, including EVs, gems and jewellery, retail, and AI, Challapalli noted.

Strategic partnerships with marquee players

When it comes to partnership strategy, brands are becoming more selective. “Brands mostly favoured focused, high-value associations with marquee women cricketers rather than a broad, low-value spread,” said Challapalli, referring to players such as Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, and Harmanpreet Kaur.

Advertisers continue to draw a clear distinction between individual endorsements and league or franchise investments. At the individual level, women cricketers have seen a sharp rise in their value as celebrity endorsers and public figures, observed Poloumi Roy, Chief Marketing Officer, RSH Global. 

In several cases, endorsement fees have nearly doubled after the World Cup, a correction that Roy described as both long overdue and well deserved.

In the aftermath of the World Cup, endorsement fees for several women cricketers have nearly doubled, something Roy believes was inevitable and long overdue.

In contrast, franchise partnerships have followed a more calibrated path, with Roy noting a 10-15% year-on-year rise, an indicator of steady, organic growth rather than sudden inflation.

According to Roy, WPL sponsorships rest on two key pillars: “Franchise and jersey associations, and television rights, spot rates, and ad rates.”

Despite higher sponsor participation, prices have not spiked sharply. “Spot rates have grown in line with the league’s scale; what may have been at one level earlier has grown by 1x or 2x, not disproportionately,” Roy observed.

RSH Global’s association with the UP Warriorz, through a jersey sponsorship, follows the league’s standard rate card, which is well understood in the market, Roy noted. While sponsorship pricing usually allows for a 5-10% flexibility, she added that differentiation rarely comes from discounts. Instead, it depends on how intelligently the deal is structured.

Planning alongside IPL

As WPL 2026 begins, advertisers are increasingly planning the league alongside the IPL in their annual calendars. “While both are cricket leagues, the IPL is significantly larger in scale, with more matches, higher reach, and a much more mature ecosystem,” Roy said. “WPL is still growing and will take time to reach that level of scale and maturity,” she added.

With the first ball of WPL 2026 being bowled today, the commercial indicators point to a league that is being priced with greater confidence, but also restraint, marked by strong gains in player endorsements and more measured increases at the franchise and advertising level.