Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket outfit Royal Challengers Bangalore has agreed sponsorship deals with fashion brands Wrogn and Imara, while rival team Sunrisers Hyderabad has renewed its partnership with Kansai Nerolac Paints.
Wrogn and Imara have signed up as official lifestyle partners of RCB for the 2018 IPL season, which gets underway this week.
Wrogn’s logo will appear on the team’s caps and helmets as part of the deal, while the company will also benefit from in-stadium brand exposure.
Imara, which specialises in ethnic clothing designs, becomes the first women’s fashion brand to sponsor an IPL team.
Both Wrogn and Imara are owned by Universal Sportsbiz Pvt Ltd (USPL). The companies will launch fan engagement initiatives at their outlets across India as part of the agreements, which will also be promoted on digital and social media. Customers will also be given the chance to win tickets to RCB matches.
USPL founder Anjana Reddy said, according to the Indian Television news website: “There has been a global increase in female viewership for sports events. In India too, women and children comprise a significant portion of the viewership pie, especially in T20, with a high entertainment quotient.
“The T20 matches have seen a significant growth in female viewership year on year with last year’s edition having 45 per cent of its viewers as females. Imara is the first women’s brand in the country to be an official lifestyle partner for a team in the IPL, and (Bollywood star) Jacqueline Fernandez’s energy and youthfulness combined with her definitive fashion sense and incredible connect with fans will definitely add to the collaboration.”
Meanwhile, Nerolac’s extended deal with Sunrisers Hyderabad will provide it with logo placement on the helmets of the team. The two parties first teamed up ahead of the 2017 IPL season.