Sport | Cricket
Shah Rukh's Knight Riders prove a big hit with sponsors
Reebok, meanwhile, has sponsored Rs450 million towards the team's sports shoes. The Kolkata Knight Riders are also seen as the perfect team for launching new products.
- IANS
- Published: 23:50 April 20, 2008
Kolkata: The Indian Premier League (IPL) is not just all about cricket and entertainment, but business too. Corporate houses are bending over backwards to sponsor Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Knight Riders.
It is the favourite team of investors and one look at the team's jersey will tell you why. Brand Nokia shines larger than the team's name on it and this at the cost of millions.
Nokia spokesperson D. Shivkumar told IANS: "Shah Rukh Khan and cricket - they team up the passion of India. This is the right time to hit the Kolkata market. We have sponsored Rs400 million for the jersey of the Knight Riders."
Reebok, meanwhile, has sponsored Rs450 million towards the team's sports shoes. The Kolkata Knight Riders are also seen as the perfect team for launching new products.
Luxury watch company Tag Heuer, which Shah Rukh already endorses, was not the one to be left behind. They have decided to launch their new range of sports watches after the second match of the Knight Riders at Eden Gardens ground here yesterday.
Big opportunity
"We were waiting for this opportunity to step into the cricket world since the day Shah Rukh won the bid for the Kolkata team. The glamour of the IPL, the craze for the Knight Riders and the first match at the Kolkata grounds is perfect for the launch," said Tag Heuer spokesperson Manishi Sanowal.
Of course, there are the usual official sponsors like Pepsico, Kingfisher, Hero Honda and City Bank.
"I heard that the minimum sponsorship amount for the Knight Riders is Rs260 million. Till now, the team has got the maximum amount of sponsorship," said a senior official of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB).
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