Candere doubles down on cricket as women’s game draws younger buyers
JAMMU — When Candere picked Smriti Mandhana as its second brand ambassador, the company was betting on a demographic shift already underway. The digital-first jewellery arm of Kalyan Jewellers now has two faces: one Bollywood superstar, one cricketer. Both, the company says, reflect the same consumer — young, online, and buying jewellery for everyday wear, not just weddings.
The announcement, made June 28, pairs Mandhana with Shahrukh Khan. That pairing itself signals something.
Khan has been a brand face for years. Mandhana arrives as women’s cricket draws bigger crowds, bigger sponsorship deals, and bigger attention nationwide. Candere’s move is not isolated.
It follows a pattern across Indian advertising — sportswomen, especially cricketers, are being signed at a pace unseen five years ago. Mandhana is among India’s most accomplished cricketers.
Her record speaks. But the company’s director, Ramesh Kalyanaraman, pointed past her statistics. He said her influence extends far beyond the cricket field.
She represents a generation that values ambition, authenticity and confidence, he stated. That language matches Candere’s stated strategy: connect with modern Indian consumers who see jewellery as a natural part of daily self-presentation, not something locked away for festivals. The brand operates as the digital-first arm of Kalyan Jewellers, one of India’s largest jewellery retailers.
That positioning matters. Kalyan Jewellers has a sprawling physical retail network.
Candere was built to reach customers who shop online, who want lighter pieces, who do not wait for a wedding season to buy gold or diamonds. Mandhana, who wears jewellery every day and called it “the finishing touch that makes me feel like myself,” fits that profile naturally. The timing is not accidental.
Women’s cricket in India has moved from the margins to prime time. The 2023 Women’s T20 World Cup, the Women’s Premier League, growing broadcast numbers — all have made players like Mandhana commercially viable in ways they were not a decade ago.
Brands that once signed only male cricketers now see a parallel market. Candere’s decision to put Mandhana alongside Khan, rather than replacing him or demoting him to a secondary role, suggests the company sees two distinct consumer segments that overlap. Mandhana said she is delighted to associate with a brand that understands the style sensibilities of today’s consumers.
That line is standard for endorsement announcements. But the substance behind it is not. Candere is explicitly targeting a customer who does not separate jewellery from everyday life.
That is a shift from how the Indian jewellery market has traditionally marketed itself — around investment, around occasion, around family heirlooms. Kalyanaraman said together, Mandhana and Khan reflect the diversity of today’s India and the many ways consumers express themselves.
The phrasing is careful. It avoids framing one as the main act and the other as support. Both are faces of the brand.
Both are meant to pull different parts of the market. Candere has been building its market position by targeting younger demographics who shop online.
That is a crowded space now. Tanishq has its digital play. Many regional jewellers have launched online-only sub-brands.
The difference, for Candere, may be in who delivers the message. Mandhana brings credibility with a generation that values authenticity. Khan brings mass recognition.
Together, they cover ground that a single ambassador might miss. The company stated the association marks a strategic step.
That is corporate language for something simpler: they are betting that the woman who opens the batting for India can also open a new customer base for jewellery.
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