IPL 2021: Brand bonanza for all 8 franchise teams

India’s biggest sporting extravaganza, the Indian Premier League (IPL), is back for the 14^th edition. While the growing number of COVID-19 cases will prevent cricket fans from watching the matches in the stadiums, this has not failed to dampen the enthusiasm of fans as well as advertisers.

Buoyed by the strong response elicited from advertisers for IPL 2020, which was played amid COVID-19 conditions and outside India, in the UAE, brands are back with a bang for IPL 2021 as sentiments in India remain high despite the fresh wave of infections. Vivo is back as the title sponsor this year. Star India has got off to a strong start by roping in 12 TV and 10 digital sponsors for IPL 2021, and count is expected to go up as the tournament commences from April 9.

The 8 franchise teams of IPL have also lined up an impressive array of sponsors. According to industry reports, the franchise teams are eye a hike of as much as 10-15 per cent in their sponsorship revenues in 2021.

Adgully brings all the sponsor details of the individual IPL 2021 teams…

Mumbai Indians – 19 Sponsors & Partners

Principle Partners

Samsung and DHL Express are the Principal Partners for Mumbai Indians in IPL 2021.

Associate Partners

Marriott Bonvoy, Reliance Jio, Astral Pipes are the Associate partners, along with full-service hotels and resorts network Marriott International.

Official Partners

Kingfisher is a long-time sponsor of MI. Working with the team, the brand has been creating co-branded promotional content.

Usha International, one of India’s leading consumer durables company continues its association with five-times champions Mumbai Indians, as an official partner for the eighth consecutive year. Due to COVI-19-mandated restrictions, the focus is on creating virtual experiences and Usha has planned a series of activations straddling various digital platforms to grow stakeholder engagement and brand recall. This includes contests on days when Mumbai Indians is playing, wherein consumers can win an opportunity to virtually interact with their favourite MI players. Additionally, Usha will also launch a unique digital campaign, featuring select players.

Commenting on the association, Komal Mehra, Head – Sports Initiatives and Associations, Usha International, said, “Consistent effort delivers consistent performance and that is the story of Mumbai Indian – the most successful team in the League. Usha as a brand personifies resilience and consistency, attributes which sync beautifully with MI as a team. The players in the MI team are a living testament to promoting active and healthy lifestyle which is Usha's brand ethos as well. We look forward to ‘Play’ with Mumbai Indians this season!”

Cadbury Dairy Milk, Colgate, Kotak and Dream11 have also been roped in as official partners of Mumbai Indians for Goodness and to provide health Insurance, Official Smile partner, Design the themed Debit & Credit cards for the team.

Balkrishna Industries Ltd (BKT Tires), the Indian multinational Group and leading global player in the Off-Highway tire market, is the Official Tire Partner for MI. “At BKT, we believe in building legacies and in the fruits of hard work and tenacity, which is resonated through all of our international sports partnerships. Cricket is a game that is greatly loved and followed all over India. And we are truly proud to be associated yet again with an iconic team, that has created such a name for itself in the sport and reflects our great belief in excellence and persistence,” said Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director, BKT.

boAt, Performax, ESA (Education and Sports for All), DNA Networks, Radio City 91.1 FM, Fever 104 FM are also part of Mumbai Indians’ sponsors as Official Kit supply, Official Audio and Merchandise Partner, Official Event Management Agency and Exclusive Commercial Partner and will be offering several promotions and unique fan engagement opportunities.

Sunrisers Hyderabad – 14 Sponsors & Partners

Title Sponsor - JK Lakshmi Cement

Principal Sponsors

Ralco Tyres, Kent Mineral RO, Reliance Jio (Official Telecom Partner).

TCL: A global top-two television brand and leading consumer electronics company, TCL has announced that it is the official sponsor of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) for the second consecutive year. Mike Chen, General Manager, TCL India, commented, “SRH has constantly demonstrated consistency through its dashing performances and gained wider traction among Cricket fans. Joining forces with them once again will help us augment our reach and popularity across India. It also allows us to reiterate our vision of promoting sports and create great cricket moments for our customers.”

Commenting on the association, K Shanmugham, CEO, Sunrisers Hyderabad, said, “We are very excited to partner TCL for the forthcoming season of the Indian Premier League. TCL is an eminent brand and we see an incredibly strong alignment with them. With our partnership, we look forward to creating great cricket moments for fans and putting up a solid show like every year.”

Dream11 and Kansai Nerolac are also part of IPL 2021 for SRH.

Other Sponsors

Colgate (Smile Partner), Jai Raj Steel (Strength Partner)

Partners

Red FM 93.5 has been a longtime associate of SRH.

TYKA Sports, FanCode Shop, Tenali Double Horse Urad Dal, Kotak as Official Kit Partner, Official Fan Merchandise Partnership, Official Stamina Partner and Official Card partner to design the themed debit and credit cards.

Chennai Super Kings – 26 Sponsors & Partners

Principal Partners

Myntra (Official Fashion Partner for 2021)

India Cements, Gulf, SNJ Distilleries, British Empire, SNJ 10000, Reliance Jio, Nippon Paint, Equitas Small Finance Bank are also the principal and associate partners for CSK.

Official Partners

Clear Anti-Dandruff, BKT and Dream11.

Radio Partners: Fever FM and Hello FM

Merchandise Partners

ASAP(Granola-based food products manufacturer), Atlasware (Stainless-steel household products), Basicslife.com (Menswear e-store), boat (Manufacturer and Marketer of audio products, adapters and cables), Christy Textiles, Cover It Up (Pop culture-themed products ranging from stationery to smartphone accessories), Kaadoo Games (Manufacturer of board and Card games),LAMY India (New York based stationery products), Levista Instant Coffee (Official Coffee Partner), NAC Jewellers (Indian jewellery brand), Nasher Miles (Licensed Travel Partner), RS Seven Lifestyle (Seven by MS Dhoni, Official Kit Manufacturer), watch brand Sonata, The Souled Store (Manufacturer of pop culture-themed products ranging from clothing to stationery).

Royal Challengers Bangalore – 28 Sponsors & Partners

Title Sponsor

Muthoot Fincorp is supporting Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the second consecutive year as the Title Sponsor.

Principal Partners

DP World (Dubai Ports World) (Global Logistics Partner), Myntra (fashion partner), Reliance Jio (Indian telecom giant), Exide (Storage battery manufacturer and life insurance provider), Nuvoco Vistas Corp (Building materials manufacturer).

Associate Partners

Astral Pipes (Plumbing and drainage systems manufacturer), MPL (Mobile Premier League) (Fan engagement opportunities), Max Life (Official Life Insurance Partner), Lifebuoy (Official Hygiene Partner)

Official Partners

Kingfisher, MakeMyTrip (MakeMyTrip and RCB engaged in several marketing campaigns and fan engagement initiatives in an attempt to boost the fans during the pandemic period), Milo (Milo involved RCB’s big name players in its marketing campaign #RoarForCricket to encourage sports among children), Wrogn Active (the official kit supplier), EUME (Avon Lifestyle Products, travel bags and protective coverings manufacturer), Mai Dubai (the Official Water Partner), MediBuddy (RCB’s Official Digital Healthcare partner), boAt (Official Audio and Merchandise Partner), NVY (NVY sponsors their in-house Man of the Match award, called Smart Player of the Match), DNA Networks (Official Event Management Agency and Exclusive Commercial Partner), Royal Challenge Sports Drink (Official sports drink to the team), iB Cricket (conducts fan tours), Sunfeast Dark Fantasy (consumer goods manufacturer), davaindia – Generic Pharmacy (Official Life Care), Optimum Nutrition (Official Nutrition Partner), Swiggy Instamart (Impulsive snacking requirements), Rainbow – Quality Milk (Official Milk Partner). 

Delhi Capitals – 20 Sponsors & Partners

Official Partner

Wrogn Active: Fashion brand Wrogn will serve as the official kit supplier to Delhi Capitals (DC) for the 2021 IPL season, replacing Sqad Gear.

Principal Sponsors

JSW: This is the second consecutive year that JSW has come aboard as DC’s sponsor. JSW will hold the principal front-of-shirt branding rights on DC’s matchday shirts until 2023.

Apollo Steel Tubes: The Ghaziabad-headquartered steel tubes manufacturer has been serving as a Principal Sponsor to DC since the 2019 IPL season.

Ebix Cash: The Mumbai-headquartered financial exchange disruptor was announced as a Principal Sponsor to DC in October 2019 in a deal that would cover the IPL seasons 2020 and 2021.

Reliance Jio: The Mumbai-based Indian telecom giant has maintained a sponsorship deal with all eight teams across the IPL since the 2018 season.

Associate Sponsors

Acko: The brand has been serving as DC’s Associate Sponsor and Official Insurance Partner since September 2020.

OkCredit: The Bangalore-headquartered digital book-keeping platform serves as an Associate Sponsor and the Official Digital Credit Ledger to DC since September 2020.

Colgate: The dental care brand was announced as the Official Smile and Oral Hygiene Partner of six out of eight IPL teams – excluding CSK and RCB – in September 2020 in a two-year deal. The deal is aimed at lifting the public’s spirits with a smile and optimism amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

BondTite, BodyCare, Nissin also serve as Associate partners of Delhi Capital for IPL 2021.

Partners

Dream11: Apart from being an Official Partner to the IPL itself, the Mumbai-headquartered Indian fantasy sports platform serves as the designated fantasy sports partner to six out of eight teams in the tournament, excluding KKR and RCB.

Livinguard: The Zug-headquartered Swiss biotech company was roped in as an Official Partner in September 2020 during the COVID-19 Pandemic to take precautions related to the team’s health and safety.

Kotak Banking & Financial Services: Kotak has been serving as an Official Partner to DC since September 2020. As per the deal, Kotak has designed DC-themed debit and credit cards for the team’s supporters.

BKT: Ahead of the 2021 IPL season, Mumbai-based tire manufacturer BKT (Balkrishna Industries Ltd) signed a sponsorship deal with seven out of eight teams (Sunrisers Hyderabad excluded) in March 2021 to become their Official Tire Partner.

boAt: boAt, a manufacturer and marketer of audio products, adapters and cables, serves as the Official Audio and Merchandise Partner to six IPL teams, excluding Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.

FanCode Shop: The Mumbai-based fan apparel company has an Official Fan Merchandise Partnership with six out of eight IPL teams – excluding KKR and RCB.

Optimum Nutrition (ON): Delhi Capitals has announced Optimum Nutrition as their official nutrition partner for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. Commenting on the agreement, Vinod Bisht, Director & CEO, Delhi Capitals, said, “Our players have always been our topmost priority and we are continuously putting in efforts to ensure that they are fit and healthy on and off the field. We are very delighted to welcome Optimum Nutrition as the Official Nutrition partner for Delhi Capital for IPL 2021 as their products will help our team achieve their nutrition goals. We look forward to a fruitful partnership.”

Coco Cola and Western Digital are also the partners for Delhi Capitals for IPL 2021.

Kolkata Knight Riders – 20 Sponsors & Partners

Principal Sponsor

MPL (Mobile Premier League): This is the second consecutive year that MPL has come on board as principal sponsor for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).

Official Sponsors

Reliance Jio: Jio has been the principal back-of-shirt sponsor on the KKR team’s match day shirt since the 2017 season. The telecom giant has maintained a sponsorship deal with all the eight teams across the IPL since the 2018.

Lux Cozi, TV9 Bharatvarsh, Astral Pipes, RR Kabel, Colgate are also the official sponsors for KKR Team in IPL 2021.

Official Partners

Sampark Advertising & Media, Fever 104 FM, Kotak, Kingfisher Calendar, BKT, iB Cricket

Merchandise Partners

Bewakoof.com, boAt, CricFig, Wrogn, Gully, The Arena, The Souled Store are the merchandising partners, clothing and stationery partners for team KKR in IPL 2021.

Rajasthan Royals – 12 Sponsors & Partners

Principal Sponsors

Reliance Jio: For Rajasthan Royals (RR), Jio has come aboard as the Principal Sponsor for the first time in the IPL tournament this year. In August 2020, Jio had released an exclusive three-part documentary, titled ‘Inside Story: A season with the Rajasthan Royals’, which covered the team’s 2019 IPL season.

KEI Wires & Cables is also the Principal Sponsor for RR, who is responsible for the ad campaigns of all the players in the team.

Associate Sponsors

Studds and Colgate are the associate sponsors for RR this premier league.

Official Partners

Kingfisher: Being a long time sponsor for RR, Kingfisher brings various opportunities for the players in the team and creates co-branded promotional content.

Dream11, BKT and Kotak are also the official partners for RR in consideration with the themed debit & credit cards, tire partner and in Indian Fantasy sports platform.

Official Suppliers

Yellow Panther, Sportz Interactive, Interactive Avenues, Epiphany are the brands that have the right to cover RR’s event, to make social media strategy and to maintain and develop their official website.

Punjab Kings – 15 Sponsors & Partners

Title Sponsor: EBIX Cash

Principal Sponsors

BKT, Lotus Herbals, Jio, Oasis All Seasons, Dream11 and boAt

Official Partner: Body Care, Kotak, Fancode Shop

Official Kit and Merchandise Partner: T10 Sports

Smile Partner: Colgate

Uplifting Partner: Coco Cola

Good Times Partner: Kingfisher

Digital Fan Engagement Partner: Tech Mahindra

Smart Bat Partner: Spektacom

IPL 2021 will be played from April 9 to May 30 across six venues – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. The opening match will be played in Chennai between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the Playoffs as well as the final. The newly built stadium will host its first-ever IPL tournament.