Baseline has been managing Satwik-Chirag for over a year now, and in that short time, they have got brands like Mastercard and Nippon Paint to back the pair. Speaking to Revsportz soon after their Indonesian Open triumph, Tuhin Mishra, founder of Baseline Ventures, said, “Satwik-Chirag are now India’s most spoken-about sports pair. And by far the best bet for Indian badminton in Paris.”
Tuhin, who also managed Sindhu for eight years, went on to explain why. “If you see their consistency and the improvement, you will know they stand a very good chance to make the podium at the Olympics,” he said. “That’s why we have brands like Mastercard and Nippon Paint supporting them at the moment. I can also tell you there are some very active conversations going on, and quite a few other brands are looking at them with keen interest.”
Mishra is also confident of Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly. “We have done deals for them as well, and the best thing is brands are now looking at doubles pairs with serious interest,” he said. “It is no longer restricted to singles.”
With Neeraj Chopra taking the world by storm, and Satwik and Chirag all set to dominate, things aren’t looking bad for India going into the Asian Games in September. When you add the efforts of Sreeshankar and Avinash Sable, not to forget the fantastic run of HS Prannoy, you know it could well be a good Games for India.
“We have signed Rudranksh Patil as well, for we are determined to do as much as possible for Olympic sports stars,” said Mishra. “They are all hugely talented and it is important that their other needs are managed as professionally as possible and we offer brands athletes that they may have normally overlooked.”
As things stand, we could well see Satwik-Chirag endorsing a few more top brands in the not-too-distant future.