MELBOURNE: Just days after confirming its title sponsorship deal with France’s Coupe de Ligue football competition, Indian MNC Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) was named on Tuesday as the official tire supplier of Australia’s premier T20 cricket competition, the KFC Big Bash League till 2021.
The deal has been brokered by Italy’s Havas Sports and Entertainment which is the global advisor for BKT in the selection, negotiation and activation of its sports sponsorship deals.
It will be the first company from the Indian subcontinent to be associated with the BBL. BKT has made its presence felt in Australia amongst 160 countries globally through Tradefaire, its local distributor for almost a decade, providing large-scale tyres to farmers and in the mining sector.
Its decision to partner with the BBL was motivated by the group’s passion and enthusiasm for cricket, and the league’s alignment to BKT’s “Growing Together” philosophy.
BKT will also be fulfilling its CSR through the sponsorship by handing out donations amounting to 60000 AUD ($43000 approx) to several Australian charities involves in helping struggling farmers.
Rajiv Poddar, the company’s joint MD commented on the deal.
“I am really glad about this partnership since cricket has been my great passion ever. Being able to support it and cheer at a close makes us proud. Not only do we appreciate its dynamics, but also the team play and above all the spirit of the game ruling this sport, or else the unwritten fair play every player adheres to. On the contrary, unfair play means a damage for the game itself. Here in BKT, we have the same philosophy: to do our best paying full respect to everybody.”
Cricket Australia’s head of the Big Bash League, Kim McConnie said: ”We are very excited to be welcoming BKT as a partner of the KFC Big Bash League as we draw closer to the highly anticipated BBL-08 season. BKT’s decision to come on board as a supplier of the BBL shows the growing appeal of the competition not just in Australia but overseas as well, and also demonstrates the value partners see in being associated with Australia’s most exciting sporting league.”
BKT’s BBL partnership builds on its sponsorship of international sports worldwide. Besides French football, these include an agreement it signed in 2013 with the Monster Jam circuit, the American live motorsport event with giant trucks performing stunts equipped with BKT tyres, as well as the recent sponsorship agreement with the Lega Nazionale Professionisti B, the governing body of the B football series in Italy, for the second division championship which is now called “Serie BKT”.
