Brand Mithali hitting new highs

As India takes on England in the Women's World Cup final on Sunday, many brands are lining up to sign deals with captain Mithali Raj, thanks to the record-breaking batter’s growing popularity touching a new high.

Mithali Raj now has 1.30 lakh followers on Twitter.

As India takes on England in the Women's World Cup final on Sunday, many brands are lining up to sign deals with captain Mithali Raj, thanks to the record-breaking batter’s growing popularity touching a new high.

Just consider these interesting figures. Mithali, who had four followers on her Twitter handle in July 2016, now has a staggering 1.30 lakh, with 1.10 lakh followers joining after the World Cup started. Of all the eight captains in the World Cup, the Indian skipper is the most popular on social media!

Vivek Ramnarayan of Medallin Sports , which handles Mithali’s Twitter and Facebook account (it has about seven lakh followers), revealed they had not done anything really special to facilitate such a splurge. “We all know how great a cricketer she is, with the unique distinction of leading India to two World Cup finals. She already has a huge fan following. But, thanks to these social networking sites, she has a direct connect with them,” he said in a chat with Sportstar .

“The decisive moment was when we cashed in on her now famous retort when asked who her favourite male cricketer was, during a press conference at the World Cup. [Mithali’s reply was ‘will you ask the same question to a male cricketer?’]. That quote was the game-changer,” said Vivek.

“We didn’t restrict that episode to just one tweet. We deliberately kept it interactive and the response has been phenomenal,” he added.

The group, which also handles her branding, is delighted that the response has been growing in terms of considering Mithali as a brand value. “It is not that she did not have any sponsors earlier. The number will be much bigger and we will soon come out with full details,” said Vivek. “We are happy at the way things are moving for her and she deserves every bit of that,” he added. “There will be a dramatic increase if India wins the World Cup.”

“She is brilliant, articulate, knows what she is speaking and has a lot of clarity on many subjects,” said Vivek referring to Mithali’s Twitter activity.

Whatever be the result at Lord's, it is for sure Mithali has stepped into a different zone in terms of branding.