Less than five months after the end of its delayed thirteenth edition, the Indian Premier League returned to India for its fourteenth instalment, but got suspended halfway through because of the country’s then-worsening second wave of COVID-19. Now, IPL has returned to the UAE to see out its 2021 season.
Arguably the biggest domestic cricket tournament on the planet, IPL has become a benchmark for high-end sporting events, period. Here are the sponsors of the Indian Premier League going into the second leg of its 2021 season.
TITLE SPONSOR
Vivo – The Chinese tech company first became the Title Sponsor of the tournament in 2016, replacing Pepsi in a two-year deal worth ?100 crore per year. It then renewed the deal with a five-year agreement worth ?439.8 crore per year that would have covered IPL seasons 2018 to 2022.
This sponsorship, however, got suspended ahead of the 2020 season in the aftermath of the heightened military tensions between India and China because of the border dispute in June 2020. Indian online fantasy sports platform Dream11 stepped in to serve as the Title Sponsor for the delayed 2020 season in a deal worth ?222 crore.
In February 2021, IPL chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed Vivo’s return as IPL’s Title Sponsor. Their previous agreement has resumed, and the deal will now also cover IPL’s 2023 season.
OFFICIAL BROADCASTER
Star Sports – The Star India-owned sports network has been the home of all things IPL since the 2018 season, when it took over the principal broadcasting rights from Sony Sports Network, which was IPL’s home since its inception in 2008.
OFFICIAL DIGITAL STREAMING PARTNER
Disney+ Hotstar – Co-owned by Disney and Star India, OTT platform Hotstar is the official home for streaming IPL matches live (as well as highlights and exclusive content) on the internet.
OFFICIAL PARTNERS
Tata Safari – Mumbai-based Tata Motors has a sponsorship deal with IPL that sees one of the automaker’s flagship vehicles serve as an Official Partner to the tournament. After Tata Nexon in 2018, Tata Harrier in 2019, and Tata Altroz in 2020, Tata’s new SUV, Safari, is the new partner for the 2021 IPL.
Dream11 – The Mumbai-headquartered Indian fantasy sports platform continues to serve as an Official Partner to IPL after losing the title sponsorship it held for the previous year to Vivo. It is also the designated fantasy sports partner to six out of eight teams in the tournament, excluding KKR and RCB.
Unacademy – The Bangalore-headquartered EdTech firm signed on as an Official Partner of IPL in August 2020 in a three-year deal reportedly worth ?120-130 crore.
CRED – The Bangalore-headquartered credit card payment company signed on as IPL’s Official Partner in September 2020 on a three-year deal. As per the deal, CRED provides exclusive offers to the IPL viewers and encourages them to clear their debts and improve credit scores.
Upstox – The Mumbai-based digital stockbroking firm signed on as IPL’s Official Partner in February 2021 in a two-year deal worth ?45 crore per year.
UMPIRE PARTNER
PayTM – The Noida-headquartered Indian fintech company was announced as IPL’s Official Umpire Partner in March 2018. The five-year deal sees the PayTM logo feature heavily on the umpires’ uniform for every IPL match.
OFFICIAL STRATEGIC TIMEOUT PARTNER
CEAT – The Mumbai-headquartered tyre manufacturer serves as IPL’s Official Strategic Timeout Partner since 2015. The two parties last extended their partnership in March 2018 in a five-year deal.