In India’s highly competitive lubricants business, where trust and recall are key, Gulf Oil Lubricants, a Hinduja Group company and a leading player in the lubricants industry, has continually leveraged sport to develop its brand story and increase customer connection. Its long-standing connection with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) has evolved into one of the most durable in the IPL ecosystem, spanning 13 seasons and expanding far beyond standard logo exposure into a holistic, multi-layered engagement strategy.
Recently, the brand inked a partnership extension with the side to remain its official lubricant partner. From increasing brand salience and customer preference to activating its enormous B2C and B2B ecosystem, the relationship has become a critical component of Gulf’s marketing and commercial strategy in India.
Over time, the collaboration has boosted Gulf’s brand equity and connected the firm with some of the world’s most passionate cricket fans. The extended partnership reinforces the two organisations’ shared commitment to connecting millions of cricket fans throughout the country through innovative advertising, fan-first initiatives, and high-impact brand experiences.
To learn more about the agreement, SportsMint Media interviewed Mr Ravi Chawla, MD & CEO, Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd. The discussion looks into the strategic thinking that led to the partnership’s extension for another four years, the measurable and long-term effect it has produced, and how Gulf continues to harness the IPL’s magnitude, consistency, and emotional connect to fuel brand growth globally.
1. What key business outcomes have driven Gulf Oil to extend its partnership with Chennai Super Kings for another four years?
Over the years, our association with CSK has gone far beyond visibility and become a strong business enabler for us in India. It has helped us build a consistent brand narrative, deepen consumer trust, and stay relevant in a highly competitive category—while allowing us to connect with consumers at scale in a way few platforms can deliver.
We are delighted to continue this long-standing association with CSK as the Official Lubricant Partner for the next four years. Importantly, as a brand with both B2C and B2B businesses, the partnership has also helped us build deeper customer relationships through curated experiences for our key customers, channel partners, dealers, and mechanics.
From a business standpoint, we’ve seen clear impact across brand salience, channel engagement, and consumer preference. Over 13 seasons, this consistency has been a key driver in strengthening Gulf’s brand salience and making this one of the most recognized and strongly attributed associations in the category.
We are also seeing positive movement across internal brand and market metrics, which reinforces our conviction. More importantly, it’s the long-term value created through continuity that has driven this extension.
2. This association now spans over 13 IPL seasons, what has made it one of the most sustainable partnerships in the league?
Longevity like this doesn’t happen by accident, it comes from strong alignment and consistent intent over time. With CSK, there has been a clear fit in terms of performance mindset, discipline, and a deep connection with fans, which has allowed both sides to invest in the partnership without constantly reinventing it.
Equally important is how the association has evolved with changing consumer behaviour. We’ve moved well beyond logo visibility to integrated storytelling, digital engagement, and on-ground activation, keeping the partnership fresh and relevant year after year. Finally, there has been a shared commitment to building long-term value rather than chasing short-term visibility. That mindset has made this association not just sustainable, but genuinely impactful.
3. How has CSK’s fan base contributed to Gulf Oil’s brand equity and consumer recall in India?
CSK has one of the most loyal and emotionally invested fan bases in Indian sport, and that has had a direct impact on how our brand is perceived. When you consistently show up alongside a team that fans deeply trust and connect with, that credibility reflects strongly on the brand. For us, this has translated into stronger recall and a more relatable brand presence, helping us move beyond a purely functional category into something more engaging and culturally relevant.
We’ve also actively leveraged this fan base through campaigns, digital engagement, and on-ground and retail activations, which has helped us drive deeper connections across both consumers and channel partners, not just visibility.
4. How do you measure ROI from a long-term IPL partnership like this?
ROI in a partnership like this goes well beyond immediate sales impact. We track a combination of brand metrics such as awareness, recall, and preference, alongside business indicators like market share movement and channel engagement. Just as importantly, we evaluate how effectively the platform helps us activate our ecosystem, dealers, mechanics, and OEM partners, especially during a high-attention period like the IPL.
There is also a long-term brand equity component, which is harder to quantify but critical in our category. Over time, consistency of association plays a significant role in building salience and preference, and that’s a key part of how we look at returns.
5. How much of Gulf’s projected growth is tied to South India, especially Tamil Nadu?
South India, and Tamil Nadu in particular, is a very important market for us, given its strong automotive ecosystem and consumption patterns. Our manufacturing presence in Chennai also gives us a strategic advantage in terms of proximity and distribution. At the same time, our association with CSK is not limited to the South. As one of the most successful and widely followed franchises in the league, CSK gives us strong pan-India visibility and connects us with fans and consumers across markets. So while the South continues to be a key growth driver for us, our overall growth strategy is broad-based, with multiple high-potential regions contributing to our trajectory.
6. How does this partnership compare with Gulf’s other global sports sponsorships?
Globally, Gulf has a strong legacy of associating with performance-driven sports, and that continues to be a core part of our brand.
At the same time, as a company, we strongly believe in adapting to what works best for each market. In India, given the scale of cricket and the reach of the IPL, partnering with a franchise like CSK was a very natural fit. The CSK association stands out because it combines scale, consistency, and deep fan engagement. It allows us to connect with a highly diverse audience across markets in a way that few global platforms can replicate. At the same time, it complements our global portfolio by reinforcing Gulf’s positioning as a brand associated with performance and excellence.
7. What new opportunities does this extension unlock for Gulf Oil in India’s sports marketing ecosystem?
This extension gives us the ability to build more deeply on what we’ve already created, rather than starting fresh every few years.
It allows us to strengthen how we integrate the partnership across our ecosystem, whether it’s sharper retail programs, deeper engagement with dealers and mechanics, or more consistent brand storytelling over time.
It also gives us room to evolve how we show up, especially with younger audiences and digital-first formats, while continuing to leverage the scale and consistency that platforms like IPL offer. At a broader level, it reinforces our commitment to sports as a long-term lever for brand and business growth in India.
