From the IPL’s unmatched commercial scale to Major League Cricket’s growing appeal among technology partners, and a wave of athlete-led endorsements redefining influence, this week’s sponsorship activity highlights the sport’s expanding commercial ecosystem. Franchises are blending visibility with innovation, brands are leaning into deeper storytelling and performance narratives, and athletes continue to evolve as multi-dimensional commercial assets across industries.
IPL: Brands double down on scale, tech, and visibility plays
The IPL continues to showcase its commercial depth, with brands spanning automotive, technology, FMCG, and industrial sectors activating across team partnerships, digital ecosystems, and high-visibility assets ahead of the 2026 season.
Amaron partners with Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders
Amaron has partnered with Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders as a helmet sponsor for IPL 2026.
Chandrasekhar Radhakrishnan, Chief Business Officer, Automotive & Home Energy Business (India & SAARC), Amara Raja Energy & Mobility Limited, said, “The IPL is one of the loudest sporting platforms in the country, but the long game is played in the quiet. It’s built on discipline, preparation, and consistency, long before the stadium fills. That’s what Amaron stands for: quietly powering long, sustained performance. Through our partnerships with Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders, we’re bringing this idea to life celebrating the work that happens in the quiet, away from the hype and applause.”
Sunil Gupta, CEO, Delhi Capitals, said, “We are delighted to have Amaron come on board the Delhi Capital’s family for the new season. We’re pleased to partner with a brand that shares our belief in building sustained excellence over time, and we look forward to a fruitful partnership and an exciting season ahead together.”
A spokesperson from Kolkata Knight Riders, said, “The IPL is a long season that really tests how teams hold up over time. We’re happy to have Amaron with us as we take on that challenge this year.”
Mumbai Indians appoint MoEngage as fan engagement partner
MoEngage has been named the official fan engagement partner of Mumbai Indians to power AI-led personalisation across the franchise’s digital ecosystem.
8PM packaged drinking water joins Sunrisers Hyderabad as lead trouser sponsor
8PM Packaged Drinking Water has signed with Sunrisers Hyderabad as lead trouser sponsor for IPL 2026.
Kunal Madan, Chief Marketing Officer, Radico Khaitan Limited, said, “We are delighted to be associated with Sunrisers Hyderabad for the 2026 season. With the league’s unmatched reach and the team’s strong fan following, this is a great opportunity to connect meaningfully with consumers across the country.”
A spokesperson from Sunrisers Hyderabad, said, “We are pleased to welcome 8PM Packaged Drinking Water to the Sunrisers family. This association brings together shared values of energy, resilience, and excellence.”
Lubi Industries extends principal sponsorship with Sunrisers Hyderabad
Lubi Industries has renewed its deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad to continue as principal sponsor for IPL 2026.
K. Shanmugam, CEO of Sunrisers Hyderabad, said, “We’re thrilled to welcome Lubi Industries into the SunRisers family. A brand with six decades of trust and performance is exactly the kind of partner that resonates with the values of our team. Together, we look forward to a season that brings real value to both sides of this partnership.”
Ronak Porecha, Director of Lubi Industries LLP, said, “For a brand built on resilience, teamwork, and performance across six decades, partnering with SunRisers Hyderabad feels both natural and timely. SRH’s fiercely loyal fanbase and a playing style defined by all-round consistency and spirited competition mirror Lubi’s own values, reliability under pressure, precision in execution, and showing up when it matters most. Through this partnership, we bring the same high-performance promise we deliver in every pump to every fan who stands behind their team”.
MLC: Tech partnerships deepen as franchises build beyond the boundary
Major League Cricket franchises continue to attract technology-driven partnerships, with teams leveraging innovation, data, and storytelling to connect with both cricket fans and new audiences in the US market.
San Francisco Unicorns sign Temporal Technologies as premium partner
Temporal Technologies has partnered with San Francisco Unicorns as Premium Partner and Official Durable Execution & AI Partner, with branding on the back of the playing jersey and across team assets.
David White, Chief Executive Officer, San Francisco Unicorns, said, “Temporal Technologies understands what it takes to perform under pressure, working with tier-one brands demanding the most robust, secure coding. This attention to detail and pioneering tech aligns perfectly with our approach on and off the field, where every decision is a calculation.
“We are excited to go beyond traditional partner visibility commitments to showcase the ‘thinking’ behind performance. By linking the elite abilities and mindsets behind our players with Temporal’s engineering principles, we hope to offer fans a deeper look at how top tier organizations are built and maintained.”
Samar Abbas, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Temporal Technologies, added, “I grew up watching cricket in Pakistan, it’s woven into who I am. To see the sport taking root here in the US, where I’ve built my career, means a lot. The San Francisco Unicorns are doing something genuinely important: bringing world-class cricket to a community that hasn’t always had access to it. We want to be part of that. Temporal is built to make sure critical systems never fail, that workflows keep running no matter what happens underneath them. That obsession with reliability is the same ethos I see in this franchise. This partnership goes beyond a brand placement for us; it’s a chance to help grow something we believe in.”
Endorsements: Athletes expand influence across performance, fashion, and purpose-led platforms
Cricket’s biggest names continue to extend their commercial footprint beyond traditional endorsements, with partnerships spanning behavioural science, fashion, performance wear, and social impact initiatives.
Sourav Ganguly joins Cognitive PRISM as brand coach and endorsing partner
Cognitive PRISM has appointed Sourav Ganguly as brand coach and endorsing partner.
Shreyas Iyer collaborates with Pepe Jeans London for ELLE India editorial
Pepe Jeans London has partnered with Shreyas Iyer for an editorial feature in ELLE India.
Smriti Mandhana signs long-term partnership with ONE8
ONE8 has signed Smriti Mandhana as brand ambassador and product collaborator.
Abhishek Ganguly, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Agilitas, said, “Smriti coming on board marks a defining moment for us. This is not a conventional endorsement; it is a true co-creation partnership, where her insights as an elite athlete will directly shape how we design, innovate, and build our women’s performance category. She has already been working closely with our product and R&D teams, and that depth of involvement is critical to what we are creating.
Smriti embodies both excellence and intent, and her alignment with the ethos of One8 makes her a natural partner as we build India’s first high-performance sportswear brand. This is a long-term play, and we are excited about the meaningful impact we can create together.”
Smriti Mandhana, Brand Ambassador, ONE8, added, “When the mission speaks to you, you show up fully. Agilitas did exactly that for me. I am joining ONE8 with everything I have got – my experience, my passion, and my commitment to building something meaningful for women in cricket and training.”
CARS24 appoints MS Dhoni as goodwill ambassador for Crashfree India
CARS24 has appointed MS Dhoni as goodwill ambassador for its Crashfree India road safety initiative.
MS Dhoni, Goodwill Ambassador, Crashfree India, said, “I have spent a big part of my life around cars, bikes, and roads. When you love driving and riding, you also learn to respect them. You understand that control matters, judgment matters, and patience matters. A vehicle gives you freedom, but it also gives you responsibility. On our roads, too many people still see safety as a rule to follow only when someone is watching. That mindset has cost us far too much. We already know what is going wrong. We know how many lives are being lost. We know the habits that put people in danger every day. What we need now is not more excuses. We need more responsibility, more discipline, and more respect for life.
Roads may be beautiful, but they come with real risks. As much as we love them, they can be dangerous. We have the data. We know what the problem is. We know what needs to change. The only thing missing is the will to make it a priority. This isn’t something I was asked to do. This is something I decided to do.”
Vikram Chopra, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cars24, added, “Some missions need encouragement. This one needs scrutiny. Crashfree India cannot be built by people who only know how to say the right things. It needs someone who sets a harder standard: someone strict, deeply observant, unwilling to indulge comfortable language and clear enough to call out the truth without softening it. Dhoni is exactly that. He does not mince words, and that is one of the most valuable things about him. His understanding of Indian roads is grounded in lived experience rather than theory alone. Years of navigating them have given him insights into driver behaviour, road conditions, and the split-second decisions that matter most.
Every meeting with him has been inspiring, not in a superficial way, but in a way that leaves you sharper, more serious and less satisfied with easy answers. Dhoni holds us to a higher standard, and his involvement challenges us to push this mission further. That changes the seriousness of the work. And that is exactly what this mission needs.”
Domestic and Franchise: Community-driven partnerships strengthen local ties
Domestic and franchise teams continue to secure partnerships rooted in community alignment and regional identity, with brands leveraging cricket’s local influence to deepen engagement beyond the field.
Lions Cricket partner with Craft Homes
Craft Homes has partnered with Lions Cricket as a franchise partner.
Jono Leaf-Wright, Chief Executive Officer, Lions Cricket, said, “Our Pride has partnered with a brand that not only builds homes, but crafts lifestyles, empowers families and grows people – a company that is aligned with the values and principles of Lions Cricket through and through.
Gone are the days where cricket was just a game played on a field. Our Union is enjoying the fruits of hard labour and an overflowing of love for the sport, our surroundings, our partners and most importantly: Our community. And a partnership such as this one, holds tremendous potential for #ThePrideOfJozi and growing great people, fostering sound values and building beautiful families.”
Reinier van Loggerenberg, Chief Executive Officer, Craft Homes, said, “We identified the DP World Wanderers Stadium as an iconic Johannesburg landmark; a place that means something to people across the city and beyond. What started as an activation quickly became something much bigger. We have found a partner that shares our values of care for community, integrity and a genuine commitment to making Johannesburg a better place to live. This is about being part of something meaningful.”
