The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Tuesday officially announced a newly-inked partnership with MPL Sports apparel and athleisure wear, as the new kit sponsor and official merchandise partner for the Indian cricket team. The Mobile Premier League (MPL) will design and manufacture jerseys for the men’s, women’s, and the under-19 Indian cricket teams.
Under the new strategic partnership, BCCI has entered into a three-year partnership with MPL Sports from November 2020 to December 2023, replacing a four-year-old deal with Nike, that ended in September. MPL is set to begin its journey with India's upcoming tour of Australia, 2020-21, which will see Team India sporting the new jerseys.
Apart from Team India jersey, MPL Sports will also sell licensed Team India merchandise to fans at affordable rates, a release from BCCI said. The brand new deal will also entail a wide range of affordable products, from sports to athleisure wear to Cricket equipment, as well as other accessories such as face masks, wrist bands, footwear and headgear, etc, the release added.
BCCI President Sourav Ganguly said, “We are delighted to announce the dawn of a new era for Indian cricket with the appointment of MPL Sports for the Indian men’s and women’s national cricket team until 2023.”
BCCI Honorary Secretary Jay Shah said, “The partnership leads us to a new frontier for Team India and for sports merchandising in the country. We look forward to working with a young Indian brand like MPL Sports to tap the potential that this sphere holds.”
MPL is currently associated with two IPL franchises- Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Commenting on the partnership, Abhishek Madhavan, SVP, Growth and Marketing, MPL and MPL Sports, said: “Associating with the Indian national cricket team is a matter of huge pride for us and we want every fan in the country to feel the same way and have access to the merchandise they can proudly flaunt.”
MPL Sports is an athleisure wear and sports merchandise brand from Mobile Premier League, which is an E-sports platform.