Anshuman JoshiFollowing are the companies and organisations that serve as sponsors and brand partners to the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL), India’s premium kabaddi tournament, for the 2021-22 season and enjoy a strong branding presence across its physical and digital assets.
TITLE SPONSOR
Vivo
The Dongguan-headquartered Chinese tech company was announced as the Title Sponsor of the PKL in May 2017 on a five-year deal reportedly worth between ?275-300 crore, starting with the 2017 edition of the league.
This sponsorship, however, got suspended ahead of the 2020 season — which eventually got cancelled because of the COVID pandemic — in August 2020 in the aftermath of the heightened military tensions between India and China because of the border dispute in June 2020.
However, Vivo has now returned as the PKL’s Title Sponsor as the tournament returns in 2021.
ASSOCIATE SPONSORS
Mutual Funds: Sahi Hai
“Mutual Funds: Sahi Hai” is an awareness programme run by the Association of Mutual Funds in India (AMFI), which is an organisation dedicated “to protecting and promoting the interests” of Indian mutual funds registered with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
The Sahi Hai programme is aimed at raising awareness among the Indian populace regarding mutual funds and their pros and cons by the means of multimedia ad campaigns while also equipping them with relevant resources to gain more information on the subject. The AMFI boasts a strong portfolio of celebrities and sports personalities to feature in the programme’s promotional content.
The AMFI continues to onboard athletes from various sporting backgrounds to promote the Sahi Hai message. Accordingly, the Pro Kabaddi League has maintained a partnership with the AMFI since 2017 which sees the Sahi Hai programme serve as an Associate Sponsor to the league. To help spread the Sahi Hai message, apart from branding rights, the deal also sees famous PKL players feature in AMFI-authorised ads.
In December 2021, Star Sports, in its capacity as the official media rights partner of the PKL, onboarded eight sponsors ahead of PKL Season 8 as the league returned after a two-year hiatus. Of those sponsors, following are the league’s Associate Sponsors:
TATA Motors
The Mumbai-headquartered Indian automotive giant was announced as an Associate Sponsor of the league in October 2018 on a three-year deal. Apart from branding rights, the deal also sees TATA Motors sponsor the Defender of the Match and the Defender of the Season awards, while also sponsoring the Fan of the Match award, which offers one lucky fan unique VIP hospitality experience for a match.
Dream11
The Mumbai-headquartered Indian fantasy sports platform also serves as an Associate Sponsor to the PKL. The deal sees Dream11 hold rights to officially host a fantasy kabaddi competition on behalf of the league. It also holds the licence to feature the official branding of the league and its teams.
Mfine
Mfine is an Indian online healthcare platform headquartered in Bangalore.
A23
A23 is an Indian online rummy platform based in New Delhi and owned by Head Digital Works Private Limited.
BYJU’s
BYJU’s is an Indian online EdTech platform based out of Bangalore.
PARTNERS
dhani
Owned by Indian primary healthcare and pharmacy services provider Dhani Healthcare Limited, New Delhi-based online pharmacy dhani was announced as the Strategic Timeout Partner of the PKL in collaboration with Professional Management Group (PMG) and Madison Media Ace in December 2021.
UltraTech Cement
The Mumbai-headquartered Indian cement company has been an official sponsor of the PKL since its 2017 edition.
Of the eight sponsors roped in by Star Sports in December 2021, following are the league’s Partners:
Parimatch News
The PKL’s deal with the Limassol-headquartered sports betting company sees its news portal, Parimatch News, serve as an official Partner to the league. Parimatch’s dedicated Indian portal also serves as the official betting partner to the league, with betting odds available on the Parimatch application for every PKL match.
Officer’s Choice
Officer’s Choice is a brand of Indian whisky manufactured and distributed by Allied Blenders & Distillers.
BROADCAST PARTNER
Star Sports
The Mumbai-headquartered, Star India-owned sports channels network has been the Official Broadcast Partner of the PKL since its inaugural season back in 2014.
In April 2021, Star Sports regained the broadcasting rights for the league in a five-year agreement reportedly worth well over ?180 crore annually, with the deal between the two parties now set to run until the end of the 2025 PKL season.
