IPL team sponsorship, on-ground deals soar to new heights

In recent years, IPL teams have attracted a number of new official partner categories, including grooming, drinks, wearables and even a “cheer” partner, with many brands playing cricket in some way or another. Looking forward to connecting with extravagant.

Two top advertising professionals familiar with IPL franchise deals said team sponsorship and on-the-ground deals could touch 800 crores this year it will be due to two new teams and more advertisers capitalizing on the popularity of the cricket tournament. “Revenue on partnerships with teams varies. For top teams like Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, it can range from 120-150 crores and for a team like Punjab, it could be 60-70 crores,” said Sandeep Goyal, Managing Director, Rediffusion.

Nikhil Bardia, Head of Sponsorship Sales & Talent at Rise Worldwide, said that the company has seen a 20-25% increase in sponsorship revenue for all teams this season. “The two new teams maximize their revenue potential, providing multiple levels of partnership for brands to invest in,” he added.

Rise Worldwide is a sports management and marketing firm that provides consulting services across teams. Its two big sponsorship deals for 2022 include Ather Energy as the principal sponsor for Gujarat Titans for two years, which appears on the front of Jersey, and a similar deal between Cars24 with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Bardia said there is potential for around 150-160 partnership opportunities across 10 teams, and inquiries from brands wanting to be part of the IPL ecosystem have only grown.

“Beyond team kit sponsorship, franchises also provide an opportunity for brands to become official partners. Brands have used this strategically to tie up with multiple franchises.”

For example, popular wearables brand BoAt has tied up with Royal Challengers Bangalore, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings as their official audio and wearable partners for this year’s IPL. The company has also extended its partnership with Kolkata Knight Riders for this season.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals announced beer brand Bira 91 as its official cheer partner. The five-year partnership will include a range of activations and curated offers that will enable consumers to celebrate their love for cricket and beer. The team has also signed Seagram’s Royal Stag for this season. Hero Weird, a learning company under the Hero Group, on Friday said it is the official edtech partner of Delhi Capitals for one year.

As the official grooming partner of Mumbai Indians, the Bombay Shaving Company’s branding will be reflected on the player’s helmet, cap and kit during the IPL tournament. Deepak Gupta, Chief Operating Officer, Bombay Shaving Company said, “As the Official Grooming Partner of Mumbai Indians, we have a reputed and privileged partner association.” The brand will be visible in the stadium, on TV, on social media and on social media. In all other Mumbai Indians marketing touchpoints in the city, the company said. It will leverage the partnership of Mumbai Indians for expansion. “In the next quarter, we expect to increase our store presence in Maharashtra to 20,000 and achieve 15% market share. This will be one of the most aggressive offline retail expansion campaigns in the FMCG category in recent memory,” said Gupta.

For the second year in a row, pathology lab chain Newberg Diagnostics is the official diagnostics partner for Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings for IPL 2022. “With cricket being at the heart of India, we felt there was no better opportunity for it. We need to reach out to our audience – Millennials and GenZ Indians,” said a spokesperson for social investment and gaming platform Stockgro, which partnered with Royal Challengers Bangalore. The company will advertise on Hotstar and will also feature company merchandise such as miniature bats and replica jerseys. The company said the goods would be signed by the players.

Goel of Rediffusion said that some of the partnership deals done by brands are just top-ups for franchisees. “Most startups with lots of money do deals like this. These don’t give them much team branding which helps in TV visibility apart from a few ground events. But they get bragging rights,” he said.

“It is a two-month long carnival. Over the years we have realized that men and women are almost in equal numbers in terms of tournament viewing. It is approximately 48:52 ratio of female to male audience. So, due to this, a lot of advertisers are now looking at cricket as a good advertising medium,” said Jigar Rambhia, national director of sports and entertainment partnerships at Wavemaker, a media agency.

Rambhia said that with the IPL viewership split around 48-52% between women and men, many non-cricket advertisers are also now looking at cricket as a good advertising medium. Several new sponsors have arrived this season, said Bird of Rise Worldwide. “The brand ecosystem has expanded. For the first time, sponsors include Cars24, Ather, Slice, Capri Global, 1 Finance, Meesho, Bombay Shaving Company, Bolt and HappyLow.

“New-age brands or startups leverage IPL to build credibility and awareness and focus on acquiring customers. We have seen brands grow their customer base through IPL partnerships with a strong focus on digital engagement and activism which gives them a platform to reach millions of fans across India.”