New Delhi: Usha International, one of India’s leading consumer durables company continues its association with five-time champions Mumbai Indians, as an official partner for the eighth consecutive year. Slated to start in Chennai on April 9, 2021, with a high-octane clash featuring defending champions Mumbai Indians, the 14th edition of the tournament will be held across six Indian cities – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. There will be 56 leagues matches in this edition with no team playing at their home venue and to reduce commute and minimize risk, the fixtures have been mapped in a way that every team will travel only three times during the league stage.
As part of the association, the Usha logo will be seen on the leading side caps and helmets of MI players and on the mat during specified match toss. Geared solely to cater to online/TV audiences this year, the stadium will also have a massive LED wall, jumbo screens, and perimeter boards across the ground, which will play up the Usha brand at various points during the game. Due to Covid-mandated restrictions, the focus is on creating virtual experiences and Usha has planned a series of activations straddling various digital platforms to grow stakeholder engagement and brand recall. This includes contests on days when Mumbai Indians is playing, wherein consumers can win an opportunity to virtually interact with their favourite MI players. Additionally, Usha will also launch a unique digital campaign, featuring select players.
Commenting on the association, Komal Mehra, Head – Sports Initiatives and Associations, Usha International, said, “Consistent effort delivers consistent performance and that is the story of Mumbai Indian – the most successful team in the league. Usha as a brand personifies resilience and consistency, attributes which sync beautifully with MI as a team. The players in the MI team are a living testament to promoting an active and healthy lifestyle which is Usha’s brand ethos as well. We look forward to ‘Play’ with Mumbai Indians this season!”
Speaking on the continued partnership, Mumbai Indians spokesperson said, “We are pleased to continue our association with Usha International. They have been part of the Mumbai Indians family for 8 years now, one of the longest partnerships in sports sponsorships in India. We have always believed in having long-standing relationships with our brand partners and our association with Usha reflects the faith and commitment vested in each other by both brands over the course of all these years. We look forward to yet another successful campaign with them, setting new benchmarks on and off the field.”
The tournament will be a closed event, to begin with, and a call on allowing spectators will be taken at a later stage of the tournament. There will be a total of 11 doubleheaders where six teams will play three afternoon matches and two teams will play two-afternoon matches. The afternoon games are slated for 3:30 PM IST to start while the evening games will have a 7:30 PM IST start.
