MUMBAI: Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT), global leaders in the off-highway tire market Tuesday announced its entry into the Indian sporting ecosystem for the first time ever with a unique multi-franchise sponsorship deal in the ongoing Pro Kabaddi League.
BKT has come on board as the official tire partner for seven of the 12 participating franchisees – Patna Pirates, Puneri Paltan, Tamil Thalaivas, Telugu Titans, U.P. Yoddha, Bengaluru Bulls and Haryana Steelers.
The deal envisages BKT brand visibility on the official kits of these seven teams, apart from its presence across teams’ in-stadia branding.
While financial terms were not disclosed, industry sources, told SportzPower that the sponsorship value per team was between Rs 2.5 million and Rs 3 million, or collectively a maximum of Rs 21 million.
BKT’s decision to partner with these teams was motivated by the group’s passion and enthusiasm for sports, and its “Growing Together” philosophy, a company release states. With this partnership, the BKT Group aims to not only support and sustain kabaddi to see talent grow, but also help populate the sport through its market reach in the Indian heartland.
IMG-Reliance, BKT’s exclusive sports consulting agency in India, played a key role in identifying and forging the above-mentioned strategic partnerships with the 7 teams.
BKT joint MD Rajiv Poddar said: “I am glad about this partnership since kabaddi has been one of the few sports which originated and evolved in our country. Being able to support some of the most competitive kabaddi teams in the country makes us proud. We appreciate that the viewership and followers for these teams has grown exponentially over the years. Naturally, it was an easy decision for us to partner with popular and successful teams such as these.”
BKT is currently associated with various international sports properties, including the Serie BKT in Italy, Coupe de la Ligue BKT in France, Monster Jam in the United States and The KFC Big Bash League in Australia.
