The Indian Premier League (IPL) returns for its 15th season on March 26, with a rematch of last season’s final between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium at 07:30 PM IST.
For the first time since 2011, ten teams will compete for the most coveted T20 trophy in world cricket. Two new entrants, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujarat Titans (GT) fetched a combined price of approximately USD 1.7 billion, demonstrating that the IPL brand is growing.
With the Covid situation in the country under control, the IPL is set to be held in India for the entire season, with at least a 25% crowd capacity allowed in stadiums for the entire season.
Furthermore, for the new season, the organisers have secured sponsorships from some major corporations. Let’s take a look at the competition’s sponsorship portfolio as it enters its fifteenth year.
First and foremost, the IPL Governing Council has signed a multi-year partnership agreement with the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), RuPay. The firm has become an official partner of Tata IPL.
Swiggy Instamart, an instant grocery delivery platform, also joined the cash-rich tournament as an official on-ground partner. The two entities have agreed to a two-year agreement.
The Indian leading ticketing and entertainment platform, BookMyShow has been appointed as the exclusive ticketing partner for the upcoming edition.
Furthermore, Upstox will continue to be an official sponsor this year. Dream11, Unacademy, and CRED will also continue their IPL journey as official partners.
This IPL season has also benefited largely from the Indian-based unicorn startups.
Paytm is the official umpire partner for IPL 2022, the brand’s logo will appear on the official umpires’ uniforms, which they will wear during the game.
CEAT, an Indian multinational tyre manufacturing company, will also remain an official strategic timeout partner. With this agreement, the two-minute and thirty-second strategic timeout will be referred to as the “CEAT tyres strategic timeout.”
Last but not least, Tata has replaced Vivo to be IPL’s title sponsor. The massive development took place earlier this year.
IPL will be broadcast live on Star Sports Network for the final time according to the deal signed between the two entities. The e-auction for media rights (2023-27 cycle) is scheduled to take place soon.Â
