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Tag: Kerala Blasters

  • Jhingan joins IOS in a new defensive strategy off the pitch

    Jhingan joins IOS in a new defensive strategy off the pitch

    MUMBAI: From boots to brand play, Sandesh Jhingan is lining up a new formation. Indian football’s defensive rock, Sandesh Jhingan, is now dribbling into new territory brand management. The 31-year-old centre-back has signed with IOS Sports and Entertainment, marking a strategic off-field move aimed at amplifying his brand presence and widening his impact beyond the beautiful game.

    Jhingan, currently with FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL), brings over a decade of international experience to the IOS stable. Since making his debut for India in 2013, the Chandigarh-born defender has racked up more than 50 caps for the national side, captained India in marquee tournaments like the AFC Asian Cup and FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and has become a household name in Indian football.

    Known for his no-nonsense defending, aerial dominance, and vocal leadership, Jhingan has turned out for ISL heavyweights such as Kerala Blasters, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, and Chennaiyin FC. His brief but landmark stint with Croatian club HNK Šibenik in 2021 made him one of the rare Indian players to play in Europe, adding an international edge to his résumé.

    He was named the AIFF Men’s Player of the Year for 2020–21, further cementing his status as one of Asia’s top defenders.

    On signing with IOS, Jhingan said, “I’m excited to join the IOS Sports and Entertainment family and work with a team that has such an impressive track record with India’s top athletes. Their expertise feels like the perfect assist as I look to amplify my story and connect with more people at a deeper level.”

    IOS, known for managing India’s sporting icons like Vijender Singh, Mirabai Chanu, Anju Bobby George, Lovlina Borgohain, and Manpreet Singh, sees Jhingan as a valuable addition to its football playbook.

    “Sandesh represents everything we look for in an athlete exceptional talent, unwavering dedication, and the ability to inspire others,” said IOS COO Rahul Trehan. “His addition strengthens our commitment to supporting India’s sporting heroes across all disciplines.”

    The partnership aims to elevate Jhingan’s brand through holistic management from endorsement deals and media visibility to community initiatives and content-driven storytelling. With football gaining ground as a serious sport-business in India, Jhingan’s play with IOS could be just the pivot the sport needs.

    After all, he’s long been the last line of defence now, he’s ready to be the face of a new offensive.

  • Ather Energy rejoins Kerala Blasters FC as official partner for ISL

    Ather Energy rejoins Kerala Blasters FC as official partner for ISL

    Mumbai: As the country gears up for the seventh season of the Indian Super League (ISL), homegrown electric scooter manufacturer Ather Energy has joined Kerala Blaster Football Club (KBFC) as the official partner of the team. This is the second consecutive year for the brand to be a part of the football team as its sponsor.

    “The ISL is one of India’s largest sporting leagues and football is deeply ingrained in Keralites’ hearts. Kerala has shown tremendous consumer demand and is an important market for us,” said Ather Energy VP – charging infrastructure and marketing Nilay Chandra. “The new-age consumer is beginning to encourage domestic football matches and we are pleased to be a part of the growth of a sport in the country. Ather 450X has seen a resounding response across the country and will continue to drive the transition to electric with associations like this.“

    KBFC is gunning for victory in this season of the Indian Super League, which will kick off in November 2021, while Ather Energy is set to make a pan-India presence.

    “We are delighted to step into the second year of partnership with a dynamic brand like Ather,” said KBFC director Nikhil Bhardwaj. “They have been at the forefront of India’s EV transformation and we look forward to further contributing to this transformation and driving awareness about sustainable consumption. Together, I am sure we will continue to build an association that helps us both set a benchmark in our respective fields.”

    Ather Energy began operations in Kerala earlier this year and now has two experience centres in the state. The company has also installed 16 fast-charging points – Ather Grid – across Kochi and Kozhikode, speeding up the EV infrastructure. By the end of the year, Ather Energy plans to expand its presence in Kerala to more cities.This association will increase brand awareness in Kerala as well as among football followers across the country, said the company in a statement.

  • Football er daak shune Bangali ashbena? Etao ki hote paare? Cholo, Shonge cholo! Banglar jeet hok! Says Sourav Ganguly in Star Sports’ new TVC for Season 5 of the Hero Indian Super League

    Football er daak shune Bangali ashbena? Etao ki hote paare? Cholo, Shonge cholo! Banglar jeet hok! Says Sourav Ganguly in Star Sports’ new TVC for Season 5 of the Hero Indian Super League

    KOLKATA 22nd SEPTEMBER 2018: Hero Indian Super League – India’s premier football league, kicks off in a week’s time on September 29, 2018, with two-time champions ATK hosting Kerala Blasters. The season is full of optimism for ATK and its fans as the 2014 & 2016 champions are sporting a new look this year with Englishman Steve Coppell, taking over as head coach. The side has also signed a few exceptional players this season and features the likes of John Johnson, Manuel Lanzarote, Andre Bikey and Kalu Uche which will strengthen their defense and attack, contributing to the team’s strong core players such as Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Cavin Lobo.

    In a run-up to the season opener, Star Sports – the official broadcaster of the HISL, has launched a new TVC highlighting football as the essence of West Bengal’s heartbeat and features the ‘Prince of Calcutta’ Sourav Ganguly. The TVC sees ‘Dada’ Sourav Ganguly leading the throngs of football fans in a united march to the stadium while magnifying the fact that Football daake aar Bangali ashena? Eta konodin hote pare na! The TVC is a reminder for football fans across India that Kolkata is the birthplace of Indian football which has even seen legends like Pele, Messi and Maradona gracing the land and acknowledging the unmatched emotion for the sport that flows through the veins of people from the city.

    Looking forward to another successful season of HISL season, Sourav Ganguly said, “To all, this is the new film of the season, hopefully it will bring us luck and we will have a good season this year. Our record at Hero ISL is phenomenal, yes it wasn’t a great year last year but we will surely turn it around in Season 5”.

    ATK currently holds the most HISL trophies along with Chennaiyin FC and can become the first team in the history of the tournament to win the Hero Indian Super League thrice. ATK will begin their Hero Indian Super League journey on Saturday, September 29, 2018, at home against the team they have beaten twice in the finals since the inauguration of the league – Kerala Blasters. The game will kick off at the iconic Yuba Bharati Krirangan at 7.30 p.m.

    Hero Indian Super League Season 5 will be broadcast on the Star Sports network, Hotstar and Jio TV. Season 5 will have a six-language feed across 7 channels. Season 5 will also see the debut of Star Sports 3, wherein the Hero ISL will be exclusively broadcast in Hindi. ATK fans can catch all the HISL action in their favourite language on Jalsha Movies.

    Creative Agency: Star Sports Creative Team

    Production House: Chalk & Cheese Films

    Campaign Links:

    Twitter : https://twitter.com/IndSuperLeague/status/1042075866170314752

    Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn33sIOAyMW/?hl=en&taken-by=indiansuperleague

    Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/IndianSuperLeague/videos/746186469052628/

    YouTube: https://youtu.be/8E4lkA4gFhM

    List of channels:  

    English – Star Sports 1 & Star Sports 1 HD

    Hindi – Star Sports 3

    Bengali – Jalsha Movies

  • Indian cricketer MS Dhoni forays into football

    Indian cricketer MS Dhoni forays into football

    MUMBAI: Indian cricket team captain M S Dhoni has been announced as the new team co owner of Chennaiyin FC team.

     

    Dhoni, who is known to have a passion for football and bikes other than cricket, will be part of the upcoming Hero Indian Super League that promises to create a revolution in Indian football and help launch a new era for the game. Other cricketers who own a stake in various teams include Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

     

    The announcement was made by Chennaiyin FC co-owner Vita Dani who felt that it was an absolute honour to have Dhoni as one of the co owners of the franchise. “Mahi has a strong association with the people of Chennai and so with him coming on board, we take another giant step towards achieving the goal of creating a world class football club in Chennai” she commented.

     

    Expressing his excitement on becoming a co-owner of Chennayin FC, Dhoni stated that he used to be a goalkeeper in school and always enjoyed playing and watching the game. “The Hero ISL is a fantastic platform for football to grow with IMG-Reliance and Star India associated with it. I look forward to an exciting season ahead but at the same time it’s important that we develop the grassroots level and produce more football stars in India,” he added.

     

    Chennaiyin FC starts its Hero ISL campaign with an away game against FC Goa on 15 October while their first home fixture is against Kerala Blasters on 21 October.

  • ISL player draft sees buys worth Rs 24 core

    ISL player draft sees buys worth Rs 24 core

    MUMBAI: The high octane two day Hero MotoCorp Indian Super League (ISL) player draft saw Rs 24 crore being spent by teams for purchasing the players of their choice.

     

    IMG Worldwide global business development football Jefferson Slack said, “We saw a vision three and a half years ago to help build football in India. The premise of which was based on the fact that Indians already are football fans. Partnerships with foreign clubs have brought in money and opportunities which we hope will help in the long run.”

     

    Star network, which is the official broadcast partner for ISL is hopeful of a meaningful journey. Star India sports business head Nitin Kukreja said, “We are hoping to create a new ecosystem, a new league and help grow a second sport in India. We will use never seen before production values for this League.”

     

    Day two of player draft saw the teams finally bidding for the best domestic talents for the last time. Delhi Dynamos picked Adil Khan, Manish Bhargav, Govind Singh, Jagroop Singh, Steven Dias, Anwar Ali and Manandeep Singh.

     

    Atlectico de Kolkata selected Sanju Pradhan, Kinshuk Debnath, Lester Fernandes, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, Baljit Sahni, Climax Lawrence and Nallappan Monhanraj.

     

    Team Bengaluru chose Abhishek Das, Jayesh Rane, Abhijit Mondal, Anthony Barbosa, Dane Pereira, N P Pradeep and  Jaison Vales from the pool.

     

    Kerala Blasters went ahead and picked Avinabo Bag, Sandip Nandy, C.S Sabeeth,  Luis Baretto, Milagres Gonsalves, Ramandeep Ringh and Renedy Singh.

     

    Team Mumbai meanwhile decided to go with Rohit Mishra, Ishan Debnath, Nadong Bhutia, Asif Katiyal Peter Costa and Llalrin Fela.

     

    Team Pune chose Deepak Devrani, Tapan Maity, Arindam Bhattarcharya, Anupam Sarkar, Pratik Shinde, Lalit Thapa and Mehrah Wadoo.

     

    Team Goa will comprise Mandar Rao Desai, Romeo Fernandes, Peter Carvalho, Holicharan Narzary, Pronay Halder, Prabir Das and Rowilson Rodrigues from its I- league tie up with local clubs.

     

    North East United football club too announced its team composition with Pritam Kumar Singh, Milan Singh, Robin Gurung, Allen Deory, Redeem Tlang, Seimeinlen Doungal and David Nghaite.

     

    With the two day draft policy for domestic players getting over, the focus will shift to the teams now announcing some big international names for their respective squads.