Balkrishna Industries Ltd (BKT) has inked a sponsorship deal with six Indian Premier League teams including Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals for the upcoming season of IPL, which makes it their Official tyre partner. Whereas, the rival brand CEAT is already the official sponsor and strategic time-out partner of IPL.
The six team will sport the logo of BKT tyre on their jersey, while the sponsorship will allow BKT to leverage certain rights namely, the right to use the official team logo, images of team players, organise virtual meet and greet for fan.
Rajiv Poddar, joint MD, at BKT said, “Cricket is a very popular sport in India. Everyone loves the game, and we at BKT are unstoppable when it is about sport. We believe in sharing values such as resolution, fair play, persistence, and self-confidence as well as the awareness of one’s limits. We are a keen supporter of several national sports all around the globe, but it fills me with immense pleasure that we are now supporting such a significant sporting event of India.”
This deal will exemplify BKT’s already strong sponsorship portfolio, since it was also a sponsorship partner of KFC Big Bash League (BBL) based on an agreement with Cricket Australia. Other than Cricket it has also partnered with Pro Kabbadi League franchises specifically Patna Pirates, Puneri Paltan, Tamil Thalaivas, U Mumba, Gujarat Fortune Giants, U.P Yoddha, Dabang Delhi and Haryana Steelers Kabaddi in the 2019 season.
The multinational group actively supports and follows many sporting events all over the world. For instance, BKT has been the title sponsor of several European football competitions, including the Serie BKT, the B football league in Italy, the Ligue 2 in France.
Furthermore, it has also become the Official Global Partner of the top tier Spanish football division, LA Liga. BKT has also been the official and exclusive Tire Manufacturer for Monster Jam, the American motor show, since 2014.