eBusiness Weekly
There has been a surge in sponsorship deal making ahead of this year’s Indian Premier League T20 tournament, which starts in the United Arab Emirates on September 19.
Indian edtech firm Unacademy has agreed a three-year deal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India to be a central sponsor of league.
The deal, said to be worth US$5,37 million per year, sees Unacademy fill the gap left by Indian retailer Future Group, which pulled out of its sponsorship citing financial problems linked to the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to news website rebublicworld.com, the BCCI is in discussions with payments company Cred to fill a vacant associate sponsor slot for this year’s tournament.
The league’s domestic broadcaster Star India, the pay-television operator, has agreed deals with 10 broadcast sponsors for its IPL coverage this year, Exchange4Media reported.
Amazon, PhonePe and Dream11 are confirmed as co-presenting sponsors, with ITC Foods, Polycab, Asian Paints, Coca Cola, MRF, Mondolez and Kamala Pasand, the other main brands that will advertise around the coverage.
IPL teams have also been busy cracking new agreements. Sunrisers Hyderabad, the 2016 IPL champions, have signed 13 sponsors for this season.
The team’s principal sponsor is JK Lakshmi Cement, whose logo will be carried on the front of player jerseys. Ralco Tyres and Valvoline are principal sponsors, with logos carried on the back and right upper chest of the jersey, respectively.
Mobile telco Jio, electronics firm TCL Technology, fantasy sports platform Dream 11, Jai Raj Steel, Kansai Nerolac Paints and toothpaste brand Colgate have also signed sponsorship deals with the team that include inventory on kits.
Sports equipment brand Tyka, Fancode, virtual reality sports platform IB Cricket and food brand Double Horse have also agreed deals with the franchise.
Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore has named esports and mobile gaming platform Mobile Premier League as its latest sponsor. — sportbusiness.com
