Rahul SahaThis article contains information regarding the organisations enjoying a strong branding presence across the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) physical and digital assets as their sponsors and partners for the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
Also read: Breaking down the IPL sponsorship jamboree in numbers
Principal Partners
TVS Eurogrip
The Madurai-based two- and three-wheeler vehicles’ tyre manufacturing brand of TVS Srichakra Ltd was announced as a Principal Partner of the CSK in a three-season deal—covering IPL 2022, 2023 and 2024—in November 2021. The deal is reportedly worth north of ?100 crore.
As per the deal, the TVS Eurogrip logo features on the front of the CSK matchday shirts, replacing that of e-commerce company Myntra, which held the CSK principal front-of-shirt sponsorship rights for IPL 2021. The partnership also entails co-branded fan-engagement initiatives.
India Cements
Chennai-based cement manufacturer India Cements, owned by CSK owner N Srinivasan, has been a Principal Partner and back-of-shirt sponsor of the CSK since the inception of the IPL back in 2008. Its logo can be seen above the kit number on the back of the team’s matchday shirt.
In March 2022, India Cements launched two CSK-themed products: Conkrete Super King and Halo Super King.
Gulf
The Indian arm of the Pittsburgh-headquartered global oil company has been a Principal Partner and front-of-shirt sponsor of the CSK since 2011. Gulf’s logo can be seen at the front of the team’s matchday shirt, on the top left corner.
British Empire
The British Empire logo can be seen at the back of the CSK players’ caps and helmets. For obvious reasons, the announcement of British Empire as a sponsor was a matter of controversy for the Chennai-based franchise, but the two parties have continued their association thus far.
SNJ 10000
SNJ 10000’s logo can be seen on the sleeves of the CSK matchday shirt. The partnership has seen star CSK players like MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina make appearances in the beer’s ad campaigns over the years.
In March 2022, the partnership was extended in a three-season agreement, with the new deal set to run until IPL 2024. With a marketing budget of ?40 crore, the partnership grants SNJ visibility on the strong arm of the CSK jersey as well as on both sides of the team’s matchday trousers.
Reliance Jio
The Mumbai-based Indian telecom giant has maintained a sponsorship deal with all eight teams across IPL since the 2018 season. For the CSK, Jio’s logo can be seen on the left of the team’s matchday cap and helmet.
Nippon Paint
The Indian arm of the Osaka-headquartered Japanese paint and paint products manufacturer serves as an Associate Sponsor to the team since 2018. Its logo can be seen on the sleeves of the CSK matchday shirt.
Astral Pipes
The Ahmedabad-headquartered plumbing and drainage systems manufacturer was announced as a Principal Partner of the CSK in March 2021.
Digital Partner
Aqilliz
The Singapore-headquartered blockchain solutions provider was on-boarded by the CSK as a Digital Partner for IPL 2022 along with online fantasy sport platform Dream11. Although CSK have ended that association prematurely, Aqilliz continues to be their Digital Partner going into IPL 2023.
Official Partners
Garuda Aerospace
Garuda Aerospace, an Indian drone startup, announced a partnership agreement with the Super Kings ahead of IPL 2023. As part of the agreement, Garuda Aerospace is to serve as the official drone partner of the CSK for the 2023 IPL season, marking the first-ever drone partnership for an IPL team. CSK skipper MS Dhoni is a shareholder in the company.
Vision11
Vision11, a flagship product of Fantasy Sports Vision11 Pvt Ltd, announced a partnership deal with the Chennai Super Kings ahead of IPL 2023. Vision11 was named the official associate sponsor for the season. The deal also includes Vision11 logo placements on the caps and helmets of the CSK players.
ICICI Bank
In March 2022, ICICI Bank announced that it had launched a co-branded credit card in partnership with the CSK. As per the deal, the card has been specially designed with a range of exclusive privileges for the Super Kings fanbase.
Coca-Cola
Ahead of IPL 2023, the Chennai Super Kings roped in the American beverage giant as an Official Partner.
Sunfeast Supermilk
Tamil Nadu-based Sunfeast Supermilk, from the house of ITC Foods, announced its association with the Chennai Super Kings as their Official Strong Biscuit Partner for the 2023 IPL season.
As part of the deal, Sunfeast launched the “Strongaa Whistle Podu” campaign, aiming to celebrate the CSK fandom countrywide.
Merchandise Partners
Following is a list of brands the CSK have a merchandising deal with. The deal sees these brands make CSK-themed products for their fans, as well as provide exclusive experience opportunities.
FanCraze
FanCraze is a blockchain-based decentralised marketplace for officially licensed cricket NFTs. The CSK have collaborated with FanCraze to create ownable assets via non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a virtual academy, digital land, and multiple play-to-earn experiences for their massive fanbase.
FanPlay IoT
FanPlay is an Internet of Things-powered fan-engagement platform that has been serving as the official fan engagement partner to the CSK since IPL 2020 and was officially listed as a CSK Merchandise Partner on their website ahead of IPL 2022.
The FanPlay app taps into wearable tech that monitors information like the wearer’s heart rate and blood pressure, and by measuring such metrics during a game — using the data to infer the emotional changes a person has gone through while watching a game — the app rewards the fans in a metric called FanEmote.
PlayR
PlayR specialises in apparel, sports equipment, bicycles and accessories across sports, age and gender and lifestyle.
Ahead of IPL 2023, the CSK roped in PlayR as an Official Merchandising Partner. As part of the agreement, PlayR manufactures and sells CSK-themed teamwear and equipment.
Hello FM
Hello FM is one of the many private FM networks that work from different locations across Tamil Nadu. After being associated with the CSK during the 2011 and 2012 IPL seasons as their official radio partners, Hello FM returned to their sponsorship portfolio in IPL 2023.
