Qatar Airways gets to be Indian IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore’s ‘front-of-jersey’ partner

Doha: Qatar Airways has confirmed a partnership with Indian club cricket team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by becoming the Indian Premier League (IPL) team’s official front-of-jersey partner.

The airline’s leisure division – Qatar Airways Holidays – is also launching an all-inclusive travel package, allowing cricket fans to attend an IPL match at the Qatar Airways’ hospitality lounge in the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium Bengaluru. The ‘Ultimate RCB Fan’ packages include return flights with Qatar Airways, premium hotel options, IPL tickets and other experiences. Qatar Airways unveiled the jersey at an unboxing event at the team’s home arena M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.

The Qatari entity’s Group Chief Executive, Akbar Al Baker, said, “Qatar Airways regards India as an important market where we operate non-stop flights from 13 Indian cities. Our operations from India also connect 13 cities in North America and 35 cities in Europe through our hub - Hamad International Airport.”

The Indian Premier League 2023 season will occur between March 31 to May 28, with the Bengaluru-based cricket team playing their opening match on April 2 against Mumbai Indians. The Chairman of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chief Commercial Officer of Diageo India, Prathmesh Mishra, said, “The synergies between both brands are a robust platform to build a robust marketing association over the next three years and beyond.”

The collaboration with RCB comes after Qatar Airways launched a brand campaign in partnership with Indian actor Deepika Padukone. The airline has a diverse sports portfolio, including sponsorship of several football events and teams, and associations include FIFA, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern and Concacaf.