Meesho, one of India’s fastest growing internet commerce company, has announced its partnership with four teams for this season of Indian Premier League (IPL).
Meesho will now be the official online shopping partner for the five-time champion Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Rajasthan Royals, and Gujarat Titans. As part of the tie-up, Meesho will be the lead trouser branding partner of all the four teams. It also marks Meesho’s entry as the on-air broadcast partner on the Star Sports network for the coverage of Tata IPL 2022.
Commenting on the new partnership, Lucky Saini, VP & Head of Brand-Meesho, said, “We are thrilled to associate with and be seen in one of the biggest cricketing events in the country. The scale, reach, and popularity of the T20 league will be instrumental in expanding our reach and tapping into a new customer base. Sports is a great way to connect with our audience and make deeper market penetrations.”
“With this collaboration, we aim to leverage the combined synergies in scaling our business while unlocking new opportunities for driving greater brand awareness,” he added.
Mumbai Indians spokesperson said: “We welcome Meesho to our brand partnership programme. Our collaboration reflects one of our key attributes of providing budding talent the opportunity to showcase their true potential through a massive and new age platform. We look forward to a mutually successful partnership with them.”
Speaking of the partnership, Rajesh Menon, Vice President & Head of Royal Challengers Bangalore, said, “We are delighted to partner with Meesho, the fastest growing internet commerce company. RCB shares the same ethos of being a cutting-edge GenZ lifestyle brand, and this association further helps enhance the proposition.”
Jake Lush McCrum, Chief Executive Officer, Rajasthan Royals, expressed: “Meesho has been a company I’ve followed and admired over the last few years. I’m delighted we’ll be supporting their growth as a business, especially when their focus is so aligned to that of our foundation, “Enabling empowered women”, and supports our purpose of Transforming Society through Cricket. We look forward to working closely together for this season and hopefully many more to come.”
Arvinder Singh, Chief Operating Officer Gujarat Titans, said: “Meesho, a young brand, has shown great growth in recent times. We, at the Gujarat Titans, endeavour to do something similar, by making an early impact on the IPL. We welcome Meesho on board as a partner and look forward to a successful association.”
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.