Parimatch has been signed up as the front-of-shirt sponsor of the Pro Kabaddi League side Tamil Thalaivas, according to SportsMint sources.
The deal is expected to be in the range of Rs 2.5 crore per season and will see the sports betting company’s logo on the jerseys of the players and staff of Tamil Thalaivas.
Parimatch has been one of the most active companies in the sports industry in recent times. It has been on a sponsorship signing spree in various leagues around the world. It also has various partnerships in place with teams to help them boost their fan engagement.
One of their most recent signings included partnerships with four Premier League clubs namely Chelsea, Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Southampton. They also recently extended their agreements with Juventus, Everton, and Leicester City.
This is not the first time that Parimatch is linking up with the sport of Kabaddi. The betting brand has been recently signed up as the central sponsor of the Pro Kabaddi League. The company’s brand logo will be seen on the ground and LED perimeter boards during all the live games on Star Sports and Disney+Hotstar.
With sports betting being illegal in India, these betting brands aren’t allowed to advertise openly about their betting services. Due to which the brands like Parimatch use news and sponsorship deals as their surrogate to promote their platforms.
In the Indian Premier League scenario, BCCI hasn’t allowed any controversial category such as betting, rummy, and poker companies to sponsor IPL teams.
The only real money gaming sub-category that they have allowed is fantasy sports. With brands such as Dream 11, Mobile Premier League and MyTeam 11, fantasy sports have become the major investor in cricket right now.
But in the case of the Indian Super League (ISL), things are a bit different as we have been witnessing several betting brands partnering with various teams in the league. All ISL teams have at least one sponsor in their portfolio from the betting category.
The entrance of Parimatch in the PKL has paved the way for several other betting companies to enter this popular sport. We might witness a replication of the trend in PKL as that of the ISL.