Call them the bridesmaid that never gets to be the bride; call them the South Africa of IPL; for all their potential the Royal Challengers Bangalore are yet to win the Indian Premier League. Eliminated from the Playoff Preliminary last time round, RCB will be looking to finally end their wait this season. Here’s a list of their sponsors going into the 2021 Indian Premier League.
Also Read – Royal Challengers Bangalore 2022 Sponsors
TITLE SPONSOR
Muthoot Fincorp – Part of the Kerala-based conglomerate Muthoot Pappachan Group, financial services company Muthoot Fincorp serves as the Title Sponsor to RCB since February 2020, when it took the role over from Virat Kohli‘s youth fashion brand Wrogn.
PRINCIPAL PARTNERS
DP World (Dubai Ports World) – The Dubai-based logistics company signed a long-term deal with RCB to become their Global Logistics Partner in September 2020. The deal sees DP World provide the franchise with logistics support. DP World’s logo can also be seen at the back of RCB’s matchday shirt, above the kit number.
Reliance Jio – The Mumbai-based Indian telecom giant has maintained a sponsorship deal with all eight teams across the IPL since the 2018 season. For RCB, Jio’s logo can be seen on the sleeves of the team’s matchday shirt.
Exide – The Kolkata-headquartered storage battery manufacturer and life insurance provider also serves as a Principal Sponsor to RCB. Exide’s logo can be seen on the sleeves of the team’s matchday shirt.
ASSOCIATE PARTNERS
MPL (Mobile Premier League) – The Bangalore-headquartered mobile eSports and fantasy sports platform has been an Associate Partner of RCB since August 2020. The deal sees MPL offer exclusive fan engagement opportunities to the RCB fanbase. Its logo can be seen at the front (on the right) of RCB’s matchday trousers.
Max Life – The New Delhi-based life insurance company is the Official Life Insurance Partner of RCB since March 2019. Its logo can be seen at the front (on the left) of RCB’s matchday trousers.
boAt – boAt is a manufacturer and marketer of audio products, adapters and cables. It serves as the Official Audio and Merchandise Partner to six IPL teams, excluding Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
Puma – The German sportswear giant has signed a three-year deal to become RCB’s Official Kit Supplier starting from the 2021 IPL. The partnership will also grant Puma to design and sell replica jerseys and RCB-themed merchandise.
PhonePe – In March 2021, PhonePe announced multiple sponsorship deals for the upcoming IPL. The Bangalore-headquartered digital payments platform signed a deal with Star Sports Network, becoming an official co-presenting sponsor for the television broadcast of IPL and an associate sponsor for its digital broadcast on Disney+ Hotstar. It also signed separate sponsorship deals with four IPL teams – Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Delhi Capitals.
Nippon Paint – The Indian arm of the Osaka-headquartered Japanese paint and paint products manufacturer joins the RCB sponsorship portfolio as an Associate Partner ahead of the 2021 IPL. Nippon’s logo will feature on the back on RCB players’ helmets.
OFFICIAL PARTNERS
Kingfisher – While RCB officially cut all ties with Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher in February 2018 by replacing the Kingfisher logo from the back of their matchday shirt with that of Duraguard, the Kingfisher Premium beer continues to be listed as an Official Partner of the franchise on their website.
Myntra – The Bengaluru-headquartered fashion e-commerce company was announced as RCB’s fashion partner in September 2020. The deal sees Myntra offer RCB-themed clothing to fans, as well unique engagement opportunities and contests.
Milo – Nestlé’s chocolate powder brand Milo became an Official Partner of the team in September 2020. Throughout last year, Milo involved RCB’s big name players in its marketing campaign #RoarForCricket to encourage sports among children.
BKT -Ahead of the 2021 IPL season, Mumbai-based tire manufacturer BKT (Balkrishna Industries Limited) signed a sponsorship deal with seven out of eight teams (Sunrisers Hyderabad excluded) in March 2021 to become their Official Tire Partner.
EUME -Owned by Mumbai-headquartered Avon Lifestyle Products, travel bags and protective coverings manufacturer EUME serves as an Official Partner to RCB and has a merchandising deal with them.
DNA Networks – The Bangalore-headquartered sports event management company serves as the Official Event Management Agency and Exclusive Commercial Partner to RCB since February 2020. DNA’s event management oversees targets like RCB’s green initiatives and their sponsorship activations, both digitally and in-stadia.
iB Cricket – iB Cricket is a cricket-oriented virtual reality experience. As per its partnership with RCB, iB Cricket conducts fan tours where RCB fans can be part of an exclusive gaming experience where they get to play alongside their favourite RCB players in a VR-induced scenario.
Jain – Deemed-To-Be University – The Bangalore-based university joined the RCB sponsorship portfolio ahead of the 2021 IPL as an Official Partner. Jain’s list of notable alumni boasts the likes of KL Rahul, Manish Pandey and Varun Aaron.
Socios.com – The cryptocurrency-based fan engagement platform announced that it had joined the sponsorship portfolios of three IPL teams – KKR, RCB and PK – in May 2021.
Via Socios.com, these teams are able to offer their fans a chance to obtain Fan Tokens that allow them to participate in several team-oriented activities. These Fan Tokens are limited in number and can be bought, sold or won in an augmented reality in-game.
Herbalife Nutrition – The Los Angeles-based dietary supplements manufacturing MLM corporation also joined the RCB sponsorship portfolio as an Official Partner ahead of the 2021 IPL.
Kotak – The Mumbai-headquartered banking products and financial services provider has further strengthened its ties with IPL by signing a sponsorship deal with seven teams – excluding CSK. As per the deal, Kotak will design debit and credit cards specifically themed for each IPL team it has partnered with.
Sosyo Drink – Sosyo is an aerated drink manufactured by Hajoori and Sons with great historical importance. It was launched in Surat in 1927 as part of India’s Swadeshi movement.