Virat Kohli Parts Ways With His Long-Time Manager Bunty Sajdeh

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NOVEMBER 21,2023

Even though India lost the World Cup, the men in blue made us proud by playing a tremendous tournament. The World Cup brought an end to many partnerships. Virat Kohli, who was one of the reasons India reached the finals, has now announced shocking news. The Indian cricketer has parted ways with his long-time manager, Bunty Sajdeh.

The reason for the split is not known yet. However, reports suggest Virat Kohli will now float his own company and is in the middle of registering it. Bunty Sajdeh, the owner of Cornerstone, managed many Indian cricketers like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, and Shubman Gill, among others.

'Yes, Kohli and Bunty have parted ways after a very long and successful partnership. Over the years, there have been a lot of other cricketers who've parted ways with Cornerstone. Rohit, KL Rahul, Ajinkya, Shubman, and others. But Virat and Cornerstone were inseparable. Now, that relationship is over too,' an industry source confirmed.

Also Read: Anushka Sharma Consoles Virat Kohli After Shocking Defeat In World Cup Finals

Back in 2020, Karan Johar's Dharma Production ventured into the talent management space with Sajdeh's Cornerstone as a joint venture. It was then called Dharma Cornerstone Agency (DCA).

However, Kohli's partnership with Cornerstone was managed separately, and the new joint venture had no role to play in it. 'The standing joke all along used to be about how it was Kohli who ran Cornerstone, not Bunty,' say those who know about the news.

More than managing the cricketer's commercial interests and being the owner of the talent management agency, Bunty has been Virat's go-to person and was often by his side at many cricket matches.

Together, they signed some multi-crore deals with top companies with Virat Kohli as the face of them, including the 100-crore signup with Puma.

There were rumors that Cornerstone was prioritizing Kohli over the other athletes on board. The former Indian skipper joined Sajdeh's talent management agency over a decade ago and has enjoyed a close bond with Bunty ever since.

In the process, the agency had to let go of some top players like Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul, and Ajinkya Sharma, who felt the company was focusing merely on Virat and not the others.

Cornerstone continues to manage sportspersons like PV Sindhu, Sania Mirza, Umesh Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, and U19 cricket captain Yash Dhull. However, the roaster looks nowhere close to what it was before.

With Dharma being a partner in Cornerstone, the agency's portfolio has become Bollywood heavy, with names like Sara Ali Khan, Janhvi Kapoor, Tiger Shroff, and more.