Shafali Verma Named Pepsi’s Latest Brand Ambassador

Shafali Verma, who has starred in India’s run to the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2020 final, has been named brand ambassador of Pepsi ahead of International Women’s Day (March 8), the soft drink giants announced on Friday (March 6).

Shafali has scored 161 runs in 4 World Cup matches at an imposing strike-rate of 161 and recently became the top-ranked batsmen in women’s T20I cricket, making her the second Indian to achieve that feat after the legendary Mithali Raj.

“I am thrilled to be associated with an iconic brand like Pepsi. Women are moving ahead in every sphere of life and it is time we live life confidently and on our own terms. I strongly believe in Pepsi’s philosophy of encouraging people to be their true self and be effortlessly cool yet confident in what they aspire to be,” Shafali said.

“This Women’s Day, we chose to celebrate the spirit of womanhood by associating with Shafali Verma, someone who resonates with the SWAG traits of being self-confidence and self-belief and is a trail blazer in the sports field. We are proud to have Shafali as Pepsi’s latest SWAGSTAR and with this association, we look forward to inspiring a generation of young Indian women as we tell her story of SWAG,” Tarun Bhagat, Director-Marketing, Hydration and Cola, PepsiCo India, said.

Shafali first made headlines back in November 2019 when she became the youngest Indian to score an international half-century, breaking a 30-year old record held by none other than Sachin Tendulkar himself.

Awarded a central contract by the Indian board in January, Shafali was then signed up by the same sports marketing company which represents the country’s top badminton player PV Sindhu and male cricketer Ravindra Jadeja.

India will now take on Australia in the World Cup final on Sunday.