Digital payment services company Oxigen has signed up as the main sponsor of Indian Premier League franchise Gujarat Lions for its debut season in the Twenty20 cricket competition.
Oxigen’s logo will be displayed on the front of the Lions’ shirt during the 2016 IPL season. Indian newspaper the Economic Times said the deal is likely to be worth around Rs100m (€1.3m/$1.5m).
In December, the New Rising consortium and mobile phone manufacturer Intex secured the rights to the two new franchises that will replace the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals from the 2016 IPL.
The two new franchises will be located in the cities of Pune and Rajkot, with franchise rights assigned for the 2016 and 2017 editions of the IPL.
The franchises are being introduced after the BCCI in October elected to uphold a ruling from a panel established by India’s Supreme Court in July which recommended the suspension of the Super Kings and Royals for a period of two years, in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal that hit the 2013 edition of the competition.
The Economic Times said Intex is also likely to promote its brand on the Lions’ shirt. Keshav Bansal, director of Intex Technologies, said: “We have seen some great traction around the team. We didn't really expect this kind of response, especially considering we are brand new.”
The Lions will be captained by Indian national team star Suresh Raina (pictured) and will commence its 2016 IPL campaign with a trip to face Kings XI Punjab on April 11.