Telecommunications firm Vodafone India has been announced as the title sponsor of the new Indian Badminton League competition.
Under the terms of the deal, Vodafone has secured naming rights to the inaugural 2013 season of the tournament, which is the latest attempt to transplant the successful Indian Premier League business model from cricket to another Indian sport.
Vivek Mathur, chief commercial officer of Vodafone India, said: “Vodafone has a strong association with sport in India. We see a great initiative in the Indian Badminton League. Badminton is a sport that most Indians associate with and we see this as a paradigm shift in the sports entertainment industry.”
With a prize purse of $1m (€769,000), the 18-day IBL launches on August 14 with the Krrish Delhi Smashers taking on the Pune Pistons.
The 2013 IBL will feature six franchises competing in 90 matches. Pan-Asian pay-television broadcaster Star Sports will provide more than 100 hours of coverage of the tournament.