Kings XI Punjab the IPL side has got on board Kent RO a water purifier brand as the title sponsor for this 2018 season of IPL. In the last some years Kings XI have found sponsorship deals a bit tricky perhaps possibly because of their past results.
Kent RO replaces the Hero group owned Hero cycles for the same this year after the title sponsorship help by them till last year.
According to market sources, Preity Zinta’s team this time has been able to manage an increase of 35-40% for its title deal. The team’s CEO though refused to reveal the exact amount of the deal but confirmed that team is getting better money from the sponsors this year.
According to Satish Menon, CEO of the Punjab franchise, most of their key sponsorships have been sold out.
“We are getting an overwhelming response from the brands who are looking forward to targeting the local market in Punjab. We are happy that 90% of our inventory is sold out,” added Satish.
Not only Kent RO is on board for Kings XI Punjab, they also have managed to close some other key sponsorship deals with 8 weeks to go for IPL season xI.
Royal Stag, Detergent brand Fena (official partner), Lotus Herbals are few other brands who will be seen on KXIP’S t-shirt this year.
KXIP, who had spent their entire purse (79.9 cr) to acquire 21 players (including 1 retention and 3 RTMs) during the rollicking event of the Vivo IPL Auctions 2018, has managed to build a strong team.
Chris Gayle, a late acquisition for his base price of ₹2 crore, Aaron Finch (6.2 cr), Andrew Tye (7.2 cr) along with strong Indian talent R Ashwin (7.6 cr), KL Rahul (11 cr), Axar Patel (retained for 12.5 cr), Karun Nair (5.6 cr), Yuvraj Singh (2 cr), and Mayank Agarwal (1 cr) holds the promise to end their title drought since the inception of the league in 2008.
In fact, KXIP, apart from new sponsors and fresh-looking squad, are seeking more changes. The franchise has reportedly filed a request to BCCI for the change of its name and is also looking forward to shifting their base out of Punjab.
Kings XI Punjab, who have Indore as their second home venue, had earlier cited poor fan support at the PCA Stadium in Mohali.