Indian Premier League’s (IPL) newest franchise — Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) — has announced its collaboration with Sunstone Eduversity, one of India’s leading higher education service providers, as associate partners for the upcoming season of the league.
LSG is one of the two new teams that are making their debut in the IPL this year.
Commenting on the partnership, Piyush Nangru, Co-Founder & COO, Sunstone Eduversity said: “We are thrilled to partner with Lucknow Super Giants in the upcoming IPL Season. In a country like ours, where everyone is enthralled by cricket, this alliance provides an emerging education brand like Sunstone with an excellent opportunity to engage with young people who aspire to build promising futures for themselves.”
Speaking further on the partnership, Alekhya Chakrabarty, Head of Marketing, Sunstone Eduversity said: “At Sunstone we always think youth first, and hence an association of the brand with the Indian Premier League felt just right. The target market and brand vision of Sunstone is resonant with what Lucknow Super Giants also has, so it was a natural choice as our partner in the IPL. ”
Speaking on the association, Raghu Iyer, CEO, RPSG sports said: “We are delighted to have Sunstone Eduversity on board as Lucknow Super Giants’ sponsor. We appreciate their confidence in our new franchise and are optimistic that this will be a successful and long-standing partnership. We look forward to this association helping us strengthen our connection with the student communities.”
As part of the association, Sunstone launches #JeetegaSparkHi campaign- to announce scholarships for deserving students for the duration of IPL tournament. #JeetegaSparkHi is an initiative by Sunstone which values the ‘spark’ in each student. The campaign is in line with Sunstone’s belief system which celebrates the potential of every student and gives them an ecosystem to grow and tread a path of success.
The scholarship will be linked to runs scored by Lucknow Super Giants in every match. Sunstone will convert Lucknow Super Giant’s every run/fours/sixes/centuries etc. into scholarship amount which can then be availed till the team’s next match. Sunstone is estimated to award scholarships upto Rs. 4 crores during this cricket season.
Notably, the upcoming IPL season will begin on March 26 and will be played in a bio-secure environment at a single hub to avoid air travel, considered as a major threat for the spread of COVID-19 infection, thereby affecting the players and tournament.
While 55 matches are scheduled to be held in Mumbai, the remaining 15 games will be staged in Pune while the playoffs’ venues haven’t been decided yet. Is most likley that the Narendra Modi Stadium in Motera, Ahmedabad will stage the playoffs however, no official announcement has been made yet.
In the upcoming season, the 10 teams have been divided into two groups. While Group A comprises of Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, Group B includes Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.
From this year onwards, the lucrative league will be a ten-team affair following the addition of the two new teams – Ahmedabad and Lucknow and will have a total of 74 games.