India’s leading consumer durables major Usha International has announced the continuation of its official partnership with five-time-champions, Mumbai Indians, for the ninth consecutive season.
The highly anticipated Summer of Cricket begins on March 26, 2022 and Mumbai Indians play their first game on March 27. The tournament is set to welcome fans back to the stadium and the excitement continues to build in the run up to the first match.
The association builds on Mumbai Indians’ focus on health and fitness and USHA’ ‘Play’ ethos of curating fun and unique integrated experiences for its consumers and audiences which support an active and healthy lifestyle. The Usha International logo will be prominently visible on the caps and helmets and on the mat during the official match toss of Mumbai Indians matches.
Carrying on from previous seasons, Usha will soon be announcing details of it on-ground brand integration during the matches, as well as digital-led campaigns to engage with Mumbai Indians Paltan and cricket fans alike.
Commenting on the association, Komal Mehra, Head – Sports Initiatives and Associations, Usha International, said: “The fact that this is our 9th year of association underscores our brand’s culture – we believe in committing to long term strategic partnerships when it comes to nurturing sporting events, then whether it is the youth, the differently-abled, or then established players like the Mumbai Indians team and Mithali Raj. Cricket is an integral part of our country, and the Mumbai Indians are icons playing a huge role in inspiring the youth to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. We are committed to this partnership and extremely happy with it and wish them the very best as they battle to wrest back the championship.”
Speaking on the continued partnership, Mumbai Indians spokesperson said: “We are extremely satisfied to see Usha International benefiting from a long standing partnership with the Mumbai Indians through brand campaigns and fan activations to build a strong pan India consumer connect.”
“Keeping the Mumbai Indians fan community at heart and leveraging our brand building capabilities to drive long term values, we’re delighted to provide the platform that our partners need to continue to build brand prominence,” he added.
Led by Rohit Sharma, and supported by some of the most promising and inspiring talent – Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Jasprit Bumrah and Ishaan Kishan, the team is scheduled to play 14 matches over the course of the league stage. The matches will be held at Wankhede Stadium, Brabourne Stadium, D.Y. Patil Stadium and MCA International Stadium in Pune and will have only 25% fans capacity and tickets available only to full vaccinated individuals.
On March 27, Mumbai Indians will play against Delhi Capitals at Brabourne. The season will include a total number of 70 league matches and 4 playoff games.
The 2022 season 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.