Dubai: The Indian Premier League (IPL) got a major shot in the arm on Wednesday with Emirates airline becoming the team sponsors of Deccan Chargers, the Hyderabad team which emerged champions in the second edition in 2009. The IPL V gets underway from April 4.
"We are honoured to be joining forces with the Deccan Chargers and partnering with the team for the next three IPL campaigns," said Orhan Abbas, Emirates' Vice President India and Nepal, at a press conference in Hyderabad.
Emirates, incidentally, are one of the partners of International Cricket Council (ICC) with the logo enjoying their pride of place behind the umpires' shirts.
"Through this sponsorship we have the chance to connect with the people who we connect to 122 destinations and show our ongoing commitment to a nation which Emirates has been serving since we began operating in 1985," added Abbas. "It is also a tremendous opportunity for us to further strengthen our support of a sport which the people of India follow with renowned passion. The IPL has rapidly established itself as a spectacle of sport and entertainment followed by billions around the globe and will provide Emirates a platform to consolidate our position as a world force in sports sponsorship."
The Deccan Chargers - starting their title challenge against the Chennai Superkings in Vizag on 7th April - will feature a host of household names, including Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara, who will captain the side, South African stars J.P. Duminy and Dale Steyn, as well as Indian wicketkeeper/batsman Parthiv Patel.
The event in Hyderabad - which Emirates has been operating to since 2001 - was attended by vice-captain Cameron White, head coach Darren Lehmann and their fellow Australian Daniel Harris, as well as Indian stars Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, Amit Mishra and Manpreet Gony, who had the honour of unveiling the 2012 home kit.
"We are proud to have a leading global brand like Emirates as our Team Sponsor for the next three seasons of the IPL. We are confident this association with Emirates will be fruitful. With an exciting new squad and sponsor, we look forward to the tournament and repeating our winning performance in DLF IPL 2012," said Deccan Chargers co-owner Ms Gayatri Reddy, who was joined at the press conference by COO Venkat Reddy.
