Tag: Indian cricket

Solitario Diamonds ink partnership with Gujarat Giants for WPL

MUMBAI: Solitario Diamonds has officially partnered with Gujarat Giants in the Women’s Premier League (WPL), becoming the first lab-grown diamond brand to align with the world’s biggest women’s cricket tournament. As the third most-watched cricket event globally, following the IPL and ICC T20 World Cup, the WPL presents an unmatched opportunity for Solitario to engage with millions across India.

With Gujarat—the diamond capital of India—at the heart of this collaboration, the synergy between Solitario and the WPL is seamless. The partnership goes beyond sport, celebrating the resilience, brilliance, and achievements of women in all fields.

Solitario Diamonds CEO & co-founder Ricky Vasandani expressed his enthusiasm for the association, stating, “We are incredibly proud to be associated with the Women’s Premier League, a tournament that is not just revolutionising women’s cricket but also inspiring millions across the country. As a brand dedicated to brilliance and resilience, we see this partnership as a tribute to women who shine in every field. Just like our diamonds, these athletes embody strength, perseverance, and excellence.”

To mark this alliance, Solitario Diamonds will host the entire WPL team in Bengaluru on 25 February. During a special ceremony, Vasandani will present each team member with a stunning tennis bracelet—a symbol of strength and elegance, much like the athletes themselves.

Solitario Diamonds is rolling out a power-packed marketing campaign that ensures maximum visibility throughout India. The brand is making bold moves with:

● Digital promotions and social media blitz – High-impact campaigns across live-streaming platforms and social media to keep the buzz alive throughout the tournament.

● Out-of-home (OOH) advertising – Strategic placements in key cities, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Lucknow, and Baroda.

● Bus branding – Extensive branding on public transport in cricket-loving regions.

● Stadium branding & in-game digital activations – Front-and-centre presence at WPL venues, ensuring strong brand recall.

With stadium branding, live-streaming integrations, and high-impact activations, Solitario Diamonds is ensuring that its presence is as dazzling as its creations. As the WPL takes centre stage, the brand is set to knock it out of the park, positioning itself as a game-changer in the world of luxury diamonds.

This strategic collaboration underscores Solitario’s dedication to empowering women, drawing a compelling parallel between the brilliance of diamonds and the rising success of Indian women in sports and beyond. Cricket, revered as a religion in India, offers the perfect stage for Solitario to inspire and connect with audiences on an unparalleled scale.

With this partnership, Solitario Diamonds is championing a movement that celebrates women’s achievements, resilience, and brilliance, both on and off the field.

February 19, 2025
ASICS India inks deal with cricketer Prasidh Krishna

Mumbai: Japanese sports performance brand ASICS welcomed Indian cricketer and prolific right-arm fast bowler Prasidh Krishna into the ASICS family. He broke a 24-year-old Indian record for most wickets in an ODI debut by picking up four wickets against England in March 2021. He is admired by the younger generation across the country for his dedication, and pursuance, resonating with the ASICS brand philosophy of ‘A Sound Mind in a Sound Body.’

Known for his speed, fitness, and agility, Prasidh is one of India’s finest bowlers. Earlier this year, he yet again made his presence felt at the international stage by delivering a phenomenal performance in an ODI series against West Indies and was awarded the ‘Man of the Series’ title.

Commenting on the association, ASICS India and South Asia managing director Rajat Khurana said, “We at ASICS India are delighted to announce our association with International Indian cricketer and the very talented fast bowler Prasidh Krishna. His unparalleled energy and exciting potential mesh well with our mission to showcase the power of sport through the transformation of not just the body but also the mind. Through this collaboration, we endeavour to build a stronger sporting spirit and ambition with young and emerging athletes.”

Delighted about his association with ASICS, Prasidh Krishna said, “I am really excited to be a part of the ASICS family. I admire the brand’s vision, philosophy, and legacy that the brand has built in the sport of cricket. Together, I hope that we can create a meaningful impact in the minds and lives of aspiring athletes.”

ASICS has been working with young and emerging athletes across different sports. Known for being a pioneer in footwear technology and innovation, ASICS India’s partnership with Prasidh Krishna will further reinforce the company’s dedication, and promote awareness about the transformational power of sport and the uplifting impact it has on the body and mind.

June 30, 2022
Britannia Bourbon’s new campaign celebrates friendship

Mumbai: Britannia Bourbon onboards a new gen-Z BFF gang with three of India’s U19 Cricket World Cup champions – captain Yash Dhull, opener Harnoor Singh, and all-rounder Raj Bawa for its new campaign called #BourbonFriendsForever.

The campaign is framed on the basic yet universal opinion that Britannia Bourbon is too good to be shared, even with the closest friends, and this is represented through the wickedly smooth tricks that the three champs pull on each other to steal a bite of their favourite chocolaty snack.

This snappy campaign also has a fun pre-campaign leg where the three rising stars are seen engaging in cheeky pranks with each other on Instagram. The pre-campaign buzz starts with Harnoor and Raj taking over Yash’s Instagram account and in true BFF style, releasing embarrassing videos of Yash stealing their Britannia Bourbon. Yash then takes back control of his account and gets his payback from his BFF mates by asking consumers to help him find Raj and Harnoor’s hidden Britannia Bourbon stashes. Finally, the three friends come together for fun banter and release the campaign on their Instagram accounts.

The campaign honours the cheeky relationships between real friends and Britannia Bourbon’s role in inciting fun amongst such friends, as a part of the brand’s Original Friendship concept. These friendships are fascinating – candid and enjoyable and these pals like the teenage leads in the TVC will not waste a chance to poke fun at you.

Commenting on the launch of the #BourbonFriendsForever campaign, Britannia Industries chief marketing officer Amit Doshi said, ‘’Britannia Bourbon, the original chocolatey biscuit has been a favourite in India and has been a part of multiple friendship stories across generations.”

“Picking up from our last campaign with Indian cricket stars Hardik, Shreyas, and Deepak, we are excited to echo the brand’s purpose of being an enabler of fun between real friends in our new campaign with Indian U19 champions Yash Dhull, Harnoor Singh, and Raj Bawa – the younger BFFs and rising stars of Indian cricket,” Doshi added.

May 3, 2022
The rise of brand Rohit Sharma

MUMBAI: He is the only batsman in the world to score double century twice in limited overs, the maximum number of individual sixes (16) in an ODI match and the only captain to win the Indian Premier League (IPL) title thrice. The vice-captain of the Indian cricket team also leads Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL. We’re talking of none other than Rohit ‘Superman’ Sharma.

Sharma, who lived in a small suburb in Mumbai and didn’t change schools because of financial constraints, today lives in a high-end plush apartment in Worli that costs a whopping Rs 30 crore. But this is not the story about how he became a household name or a prominent player in the Indian cricket team. The hitman has also become a ‘hit’ among leading brands that are willing to splurge millions to sign him as the brand ambassador.

While he makes a pretty decent amount from his cricketing career where he receives an enormous annual salary of Rs 11.5 crore, Sharma draws in an average of over Rs 10 crore annually from brand endorsements. According to industry estimates, his net worth is projected to grow further by approximately 38 per cent by the end of year 2018.

In a career spanning 11 years, Sharma has endorsed brands such as Maggi, Fair and Lovely, Lays, Nissan, energy drink Restless, Nasivion nasal spray, Ceat Tyres, Swiss watches company Hublot, Aristocrat by VIP luggage, Adidas and Oppo mobiles.

While one may think that his brand choices haven’t really been wise and astute in the last few years, he gradually seems to be getting a hang of how the game of brand endorsement is played. Only in 2018, he became the brand ambassador for Relispray, Sharp television and recently the mobile accessories brand Conekt. The renowned tire company Ceat also pays him Rs 3 crore every year to put the brand’s sticker on his cricket bat.

Though the quality and level of brands he has been choosing in the last few years have gone up considerably, it is still a long way for him before he can become the favourite of every brand. Currently, Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli seems to be every brand’s go-to person as his brand equity was valued higher than football star Lionel Messi in the Forbes top 10 list of global athletes of 2017 with an estimated value of $14.5 million.

Although the early glamour also pushed Kohli to advocate Pepsi and Fair & Lovely Men in 2011, he eventually decided to move away from these brands in 2017. He refused to renew the contract, saying at the time that he would not ask people to consume something that he himself does not. Kohli said, “Things that I’ve endorsed in the past – I won’t take names — but something that I feel that I don’t connect to anymore. If I myself won’t consume such things, I won’t urge others to consume it just because I’m getting money out of it.”

Following this move by the captain, Sharma too does not see himself selling or endorsing a product that he doesn’t believe in. He says that he is extremely cautious about the brands he endorses. In an interview with Indiantelevision.com, Sharma said, “I am extremely cautious about the brands I associate myself with. I don’t want to be selling or getting involved with something that I don’t use myself. I genuinely believe in having a connection with a brand that you endorse and if that’s missing, there is no point in selling fake products/ideas to people.

But how does he really decide on signing a brand or giving it a miss? Says the MI captain, “Whenever I choose to endorse a product, I want my fans and people to experience the product and enjoy it as well. A lot of brands that I have endorsed are used by me and if I don’t see any camaraderie between me and the brand, I don’t go ahead with the association.”

Lately, newcomer Hardik Pandya is also getting better acceptance in the market than the proven and seasoned Sharma. Pandya is increasingly getting brands despite being new as he is flamboyant, stylish and supports different looks and hairstyles.

The hitman still has a long road and career ahead and his star value is unlikely to dim anytime in the future.

September 3, 2018
Sports sponsorship industry grew by over 19% in 2016 in India: ESP

MUMBAI: Numbers don’t lie, and the numbers in the fourth edition of the ‘Sporting Nation in the Making’ India sports sponsorship report speak for themselves. Compiled by ESP Properties- the sports and entertainment programming specialist arm of GroupM, and SportzPower- leading sports portal, the report states that sports sponsorship spending grew by a little over 19%. Spending via sports sponsorship accounted for 11.5% of the Indian AdEx (AdEx numbers from GroupM This Year, Next Year 2016 report) in the Indian market. While media spends contributed to the largest chunk of the pie, followed by ground sponsorship, the total size of sports advertising rose to INR 6400 crore / $941 million, a big jump up from the INR 5363.3 crore / $825 million garnered in 2015.

Apart from an in-depth analysis of on-ground, media spends, team sponsorships, franchises and mobile and social media data, the new report delves deeply into the evolution of technology and its effects on the mainstream digital landscape. Beyond mere number crunching, the report also strives to educate stakeholders on the key developments that could affect their business, offering a roadmap to manoeuvre sponsorships going forward. The major insight of this report is that both Cricket and Non-Cricket held their own trajectory, and together pushed the industry forward. 2016 also seemed like a make-or-break year for some leagues, with some repositioning themselves to garner greater viewership, while others launching with a hungry audience base. Indian Cricket was on a high in 2016, both on the field and off it.

ESP Properties business head Vinit Karnik believes 2017 is definitely going to gain momentum in terms of the previous year’s high and opined, “The report insights are the key to devising more refined viewer engagement. Gone are the days of male dominance in sports viewership. The year’s biggest chunk of spectators came from women and kids. This is ground-breaking data for brands to take that much desired leap of faith and traverse new grounds. Cricket continues to be the poster child for sponsorships, and non-Cricket sports still have a fair leap to make to match revenue. However it is interesting to focus on the mushrooming of a very defined health and fitness consciousness within the country. Young digital India is breaking barriers and creating new records especially when it comes to live feeds. Their smartphones are their all access pass to the “insider world” of sports, sportsmen and their strengths and weaknesses. Sports start-ups are trending and the success achieved by league-based events across multiple sports indicates a strong potential to consume sports other than cricket.”

“Viewership data demographics have been an eye-opener in 2016,” emphasises SportzPower co-founder Thomas Abraham, and continues, “Demonetisation disruptions aside, 2016 was a great year for the industry and this year will be even more so. Team sponsorships may have experienced certain upheavals and newer leagues will change the sporting diaspora even more so this year. However, what remains to be seen is franchise sustenance, endorsement rates and the manner in which technology and data influence these numbers. We expect 2017 to only get bigger, not just on the back of growth from the leagues that are now up and running, but also from new kids on the block that are debuting in the year – Table Tennis being a notable one.” Thus, 2016 proved to be apocalyptic for some leagues that had risen out of the woodworks since 2011-12 and they finally culminated in imminent death

Going forward, a lot is in store for sports in 2017. The first two months have already provided an indication to what promises to be an action packed year for Sportainment. Digital and offline are now two sides of the same coin. Looking forward, ESP Properties and SportzPower expect India’s sports market to grow at a faster pace vis-à-vis the last few years, aided by government policy and an increasing demand for recreational sports.

March 16, 2017
Comment: Is BCCI lbw on Star’s sponsorship googly?

Why blame Virat Kohli & Co. for crumbling on a doctored pitch in Pune in the first Test against the visiting Ausssies? And, why should it come as a surprise? Indian cricket — administrators, (most) cricketers, sponsors, various rights holders, other stakeholders, et al — itself lives in a fairly land of its own making where games are played on dusty bowls and fiercely fought with no punches pulled. Star India’s latest googly to BCCI just goes on to amplify these. BCCI, though, has played the ball with a straight and dead bat.

A month before its contract for the Team India’s jersey sponsorship comes to an end in March 2017, Star India’s Chairman and CEO Uday Shankar has set the game up. “Given all the volatility, we are indeed concerned about the health of cricket in the days ahead. We have been very proud that our name is carried on the jersey of Team India. But given all the uncertainties, we have decided not to bid for it again. The commitments being asked for are too onerous without any clarity,” Shankar bared a marketing fang in an interview given to Times of India.

A veteran of many journalistic face-offs earlier and now a master corporate strategist, Shankar’s message to BCCI or Indian cricket’s administrative body was clear, if not politically loaded: forget Team India’s indifferent performances at times on field, we can live with it; it’s the off-field boardroom games that’s making us uneasy to risk our money.

If the government of the day believes that ‘desh badal raha hai’ or the country is changing, why should BCCI also not reflect that narrative? Finding itself in the throes of controversies, some which are self-induced and some inflicted by the Supreme Court, BCCI seems unable to extricate itself from conflicts with itself and those with the cricket’s international governing body, ICC. What with some past office-bearers threatening to oppose moves of the Supreme Court-appointed interim administrative body shorn of politicians, it’s a piquant situation worthy of a Bollywood potboiler. Especially when there are question marks over India’s participation in strong cricketing properties, including the Champions Trophy and the IPL prospects not looking so rosy.

Though some cricket observers feel that Star India is playing a who-would-blink-first game with BCCI, admittedly weakened by SC-induced structural changes, subsequent internal wrangling and flexing of muscle by ICC, presently led by former Indian chief administrator Shashank Manohar, others feel Star does have a point. A big financial point.

According to Espncricinfo.com, Star India had bagged the Indian team sponsorship rights for a four-year period, starting 1 January 2014 and ending 31 March , 2017, with a bid worth Rs 19.2 million (US$315,000 approx) per match for bilateral series and Rs 6.1 million (US$100,000 approx) per match for ICC-sponsored tournaments. This had brought to an end a 12-year partnership with Sahara.

Star, which also holds the broadcast, internet and mobile rights to Indian cricket until March 2018, had invested a few billions of dollars in Indian cricket overall, as per Shankar’s own admission to Times of India recently. Star’s jersey sponsorship contract that expires this March-end included the right to be called the official team sponsor and to display a commercial logo on the men’s, women’s, Under-19 and `A’ players and on their teams’ kits.

Though Star obliquely may not be in favour of Test cricket — “If there are millions of people…not so attached to Test cricket but are very excited about the T20, then there’s a certain message that needs to be taken seriously”, says Shankar — the exposure that it has got as the team sponsor of men’s and women’s Indian cricketers in Tests, one-dayers and other smaller format of the game also cannot be denied.

However, despite wanting to control things, Star India has been unable to influence much the twists and turns in soap opera called `BCCI’s transformation’, directed by the Supreme Court, which has raised uncertainties and question marks over return on investments for Star. Especially if Team India did not play in some tournaments or against certain country (like Pakistan) owing to not only India’s national political narrative, but also waning of support from other cricket-playing nations that Star describes as ebbing of India’s controlling power over international cricket despite being the biggest contributors.

That one of the biggest investors in Indian cricket was never consulted on matters cricketing (“I don’t think we have ever been consulted or our views have been sought. This is a bit intriguing for us…as people committed to such high sums of contractual value, we have a point of view,” Shankar says) would have been rankling Star much. But that it still continued to invest in cricket, including Indian, also highlights the gains.

In this tug-of-war of investment vs. RoI, BCCI may seem to be on a weak wicket presently, but it cannot be denied that other stakeholders, including Star, are trying to put pressure in an effort to close the game early on this turning pitch. But don’t think it’s all over for BCCI if Star backs out as team sponsor. Even Star has left itself room to manoeuvre as Shankar in the TOI interview states: “However, given all the volatility in the cricket world, we will have to be very careful before making any further commitments.”

Remember what they say in cricket that the match isn’t over till the last ball has been bowled. And, the last ball remains to be still bowled in this game.

March 1, 2017
Revital H replaces Salman Khan with MS Dhoni as brand ambassador

MUMBAI: Revital H has unveiled a new campaign featuring youth heartthrob and captain of the Indian cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni. MS Dhoni replaces the Kick hitmaker Salman Khan.

The integrated campaign, created by Lowe Lintas Delhi rests on the powerful and intrinsically Indian insight that often success is attributed to luck, thereby diluting all the effort that goes behind the achievement. The campaign vividly attempts to correct this misconception and pave a way for the brand as a partner of success while embodying hard work and mental alertness. With that intention, the most successful Indian cricket captain, MS Dhoni was roped in as Revital H’s brand ambassador.

Commenting on the new campaign, Lowe Lintas Delhi president Naveen Gaur said, “The challenge for the agency was to take a really popular leader brand like Revital H to the next level of growth by creating a highly persuasive campaign. In its attempt to become a fast-evolving, achiever society there is a huge stress that’s laid on professional and personal success among individuals. The campaign attempts to position Revital H as a partner of success.”

Sharing his thoughts on the campaign approach, Lowe Lintas CCO Arun Iyer said, “The campaign stems from the interesting insight that many times the success achieved by others is ascribed to their luck and all the effort that goes behind gets diluted. We took a leap on this insight and created communication that most Indians would resonate with.”

Adding his insight on the new campaign, Sun Pharma consumer health care VP and head Subodh Marwah said, “The goal now is to expand our reach and induce higher trials and we plan to do it in a way that will be well received by the consumers. In Mahendra Singh Dhoni, we have found a perfect ambassador who is not only a physically fit athlete, but also boasts of extreme mental agility – attributes that define Revital H at its core.”

March 14, 2016
Revital H replaces Salman Khan with MS Dhoni as brand ambassador

MUMBAI: Revital H has unveiled a new campaign featuring youth heartthrob and captain of the Indian cricket team Mahendra Singh Dhoni. MS Dhoni replaces the Kick hitmaker Salman Khan.

The integrated campaign, created by Lowe Lintas Delhi rests on the powerful and intrinsically Indian insight that often success is attributed to luck, thereby diluting all the effort that goes behind the achievement. The campaign vividly attempts to correct this misconception and pave a way for the brand as a partner of success while embodying hard work and mental alertness. With that intention, the most successful Indian cricket captain, MS Dhoni was roped in as Revital H’s brand ambassador.

Commenting on the new campaign, Lowe Lintas Delhi president Naveen Gaur said, “The challenge for the agency was to take a really popular leader brand like Revital H to the next level of growth by creating a highly persuasive campaign. In its attempt to become a fast-evolving, achiever society there is a huge stress that’s laid on professional and personal success among individuals. The campaign attempts to position Revital H as a partner of success.”

Sharing his thoughts on the campaign approach, Lowe Lintas CCO Arun Iyer said, “The campaign stems from the interesting insight that many times the success achieved by others is ascribed to their luck and all the effort that goes behind gets diluted. We took a leap on this insight and created communication that most Indians would resonate with.”

Adding his insight on the new campaign, Sun Pharma consumer health care VP and head Subodh Marwah said, “The goal now is to expand our reach and induce higher trials and we plan to do it in a way that will be well received by the consumers. In Mahendra Singh Dhoni, we have found a perfect ambassador who is not only a physically fit athlete, but also boasts of extreme mental agility – attributes that define Revital H at its core.”

March 14, 2016
Jagmohan Dalmiya is BCCI president after winning an uncontested election

MUMBAI: After winning an uncontested election veteran cricket administrator Jagmohan Dalmiya will make a comeback as full-time president of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after 10 years.

He was the sole nominee for the top post, which was formally filled at the board’s AGM on 2 March, 2015.

The former International Cricket Council (ICC) president, whose previous tenure as full-time BCCI chief in India ended in 2004, emerged as a consensus candidate of the two rival groups as the deadline for filing nomination ended on the afternoon of 1 March.

While one group was led by the sidelined board president N. Srinivasan, the other camp was led by Maharashtra strongman Sharad Pawar.

Both the groups claimed that Dalmiya was their candidate, but the wily 74-year-old businessman has kept his cards close to his chest.

“Three sets of nominations were filed on Dalmiya’s behalf. Each of the six BCCI affiliates from the east Zone were either proposer or seconder,” a BCCI source told IANS.

As per BCCI rules, it is the turn of the east zone associations this year to nominate candidates for the elections.

Srinivasan was barred by the Supreme Court from contesting the election following the Indian Premier League (IPL) spot fixing scam. He is not even allowed to participate in the AGM, but can only vote when required as a nominee of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA), if there is an election.

Former ICC chief Pawar, who was BCCI president from 2005-2008, was also eyeing the post, but had to backtrack after failing to find a proposer and seconder from the east zone.

Anurag Thakur edged Sanjay Patel by a vote to win the post of BCCI Secretary.

The outcome of the meeting :

·         Jagmohan Dalmiya – President

·         Anurag Thakur – Hon. Secretary

·         Amitabh Choudhary – Hon. Jt. Secretary

·         Anirudh Chaudhry – Hon. Treasurer

·         M.L. Nehru – Vice President (North)

·         G. Ganga Raju – Vice President (South)

·         Gautam Roy – Vice President (East)

·         T.C. Mathew – Vice President (West)

·         C.K. Khanna – Vice President (Central)

The audited accounts for the FY 2013 – 2014 were approved.

March 2, 2015
Ten Sports readies to dribble with Junior Hockey World Cup

MUMBAI: Right now, the nation is moaning about the retirement of Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar. Clearly, the focus is on cricket and punters are betting that his farewell test is going to notch up never before heard of ratings.

But wait, here’s a channel which is hoping to take the viewership of hockey – another national passion (until cricket took over) – up a few notches as it readies for a blast which is going to hit the air waves in the next 10 days. Ten Sports, which is the official broadcaster of the Hero Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2013 says it is going to unleash a promotional blitzkrieg for it. To be held in Delhi from 6-15 December, it features 16 national teams and will be played out at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium, New Delhi.

“We are building up a strategy to make hockey really big. We know that the sport has huge potential to catch up with cricket as it has the same energy and vigour,” says Ten Sports CEO Rajesh Sethi, adding that the promotional strategy includes going big on social media to build the buzz for the tournament.

Commentary is going to primarily be in English unlike rival Star Sports which normally telecasts hockey with Hindi commentary.

In fact it’s not just Junior Hockey World Cup, the channel, which also has a right to broadcast the Hockey World Cup that will be played in Netherlands in May-June 2014, the Commonwealth Games, Glasgow (23 July- 3 August, 2014), and 2014 Asian Games (September-October 2014) scheduled to be held in South Korea, is planning a huge build up for all these spectacles from now onwards.

“Hockey forms a big chunk of all these games. With the telecast of the Junior World Cup, we will start building up an environment for the sport,” says Sethi, who is closing on some “big advertising deals” for the tournament very soon.

According to sources, the channel is also planning to rope in a well-known person as the brand ambassador to promote the tournament.

Rival channels are not too disturbed by Ten Sports push.

Says one of them: “Ten Sports has a long term agreement with International Hockey Federation (FIH) and the way we try to make all our events big, even they will do that. There’s really no need for us to be troubled because of that. The sport has its loyal audience; hopefully Ten Sports’ push will expand the viewership. The entire sports industry in India wants other sports to develop viewership so that our dependency on cricket can reduce.”

All league matches featuring India will be played in prime time slot at 8:00 pm, beginning 6 December. Should the GECs be worried?

November 15, 2013