On-field popularity and commercial appeal are not necessarily the same thing. SportsPro’s 2026 list of the world’s 50 Most Marketable Athletes makes that distinction clear, with India’s Test and ODI captain Shubman Gill ranked ahead of football superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

Gill is ranked 13th, one place ahead of Ronaldo at 14th. Mbappe is 19th, while Messi is down at 27th.

The top spot, however, belongs to neither cricket nor football. Belarusian tennis star Aryna Sabalenka has been named the world’s most marketable athlete for 2026. Freestyle skiing champion Eileen Gu is second, NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo third, Manchester City striker Erling Haaland fourth and Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz fifth.

Kohli, Rohit and Dhoni Miss the Top 50

The ranking also brings a major surprise for Indian cricket fans. Former India captain Virat Kohli is not in the top 50, sitting at 85th overall. MS Dhoni is 83rd and Rohit Sharma 90th.

Gill leads the Indian cricket contingent in the top 50. Rishabh Pant is ranked 36th, Smriti Mandhana 37th, Jasprit Bumrah 39th and Jemimah Rodrigues 31st. That gives India five cricketers in the top 50.

Kohli and Rohit were both inside the top 50 last year but have dropped significantly in the latest assessment. Kohli previously reached second place in 2014 and third in 2016.

Why Is Gill Ranked So Highly?

SportsPro’s ranking is not simply a measure of sporting performance or social-media popularity. The assessment uses 27 defined marketability factors, hundreds of data points for each athlete and more than 3,000 brand partnership records.

For the 2026 edition, 1,202 athletes across 70 sports were initially considered. The field was then narrowed to 247 athletes for detailed assessment. Audience reach, online search demand, media sentiment and commercial partnerships were among the factors analysed.

A 100-Point Marketability Score

SportsPro and NorthStar Solutions Group assess athletes using a 100-point marketability score built around three key pillars.

Brand Equity — 45 points:
Measures the strength, appeal, trust and reach of an athlete’s personal brand.

Momentum — 40 points:
Measures how quickly an athlete’s commercial popularity and brand value are growing.

Commercial Trajectory — 15 points:
Assesses the athlete’s potential for future commercial growth.

Gill’s strongest area among the Indian athletes is reportedly Momentum, highlighting the rapid growth of his commercial profile.

Sabalenka Takes the Top Spot

Aryna Sabalenka leads the 2026 rankings. The 28-year-old Belarusian has won four Grand Slam titles and finished 2025 as the world No. 1 for a second consecutive season.

Her commercial portfolio includes global brands such as Nike, Wilson, Gucci, Emirates, Audemars Piguet, Whoop and Stella Artois.

Sabalenka becomes the fourth woman and third tennis player to top SportsPro’s annual marketability rankings since the list was introduced in 2010.

Where Do Football’s Biggest Stars Rank?

Gill’s 13th-place ranking is particularly notable because Ronaldo sits directly behind him at 14th. Mbappe is 19th and Messi 27th.

That does not mean SportsPro considers Gill a bigger sporting star than Messi or Ronaldo. The ranking measures marketability, using factors such as brand strength, commercial momentum, audience reach, search interest, media sentiment and future commercial potential.

In other words, SportsPro’s 2026 assessment suggests that Shubman Gill’s commercial profile is currently stronger than those of several of the biggest names in world football.

For Indian cricket, it is another indication of Gill’s rapidly expanding status as a global sporting brand.