Indian Premier League (IPL) is the most-awaited event in the country. While Tata is the Title Sponsor of IPL this year, the rest of the partners of the tournament are all startups companies, which is a testament to the growth India’s startup network has witnessed over the last few years. Therefore, it is natural and gets translated into TRPs, viewership numbers, and yes, there are various sponsorships.
According to the report of BCCI secretary Jay Shah, the IPL 2021 had hit 380 Million viewers till match 35 on September 24, 2021. By October 1, 2021, the consumption for IPL 2021 including Star Sports’ pre-match programming stood at 242 Billion minutes, per media reports.
Paytm
Founded: 2010
Founder: Vijay Shekhar Sharma
Paytm is again to be in IPL 2022 as the Official Umpire Partner of the tournament.
In November 2021 Paytm had the largest Indian tech IPO when it was listed on the stock exchanges, with plans to raise $3 Billion and target a valuation of $25-30 Billion. However, since then, Paytm has seen its stock price plummet, the startup’s stock is currently trading 75% down from its IPO price.
According to reports, Paytm has invested around INR 28 Crore to be the Umpire Sponsor of Tata IPL 2022; the exact figure is not confirmed.
Dream11
Founded: 2008
Founder: Bhavin Sheth and Harsh Jain
Dream Sports is a venture which provides multiple fan engagement avenues, including fantasy sports, content, commerce, experiences, and events. Dream11 is one of the parts of the unicorn.
Its fantasy sports platform Dream11 claims to have 80+ Million users and has been eyeing an IPO worth $1.5 Billion, valuing it at $6 Billion, in the US.
Dream11 is an official sponsor of the Tata IPL this year. The gaming unicorn also partners with seven IPL teams in 2022. The unicorn is the principal sponsor of Punjab Kings, official partners with CSK, MI, SRH, RR, and GT, while being the Associate Sponsor of DC.
Unacademy
Founded: 2015
Founder: Gaurav Munjal, Hemesh Singh, and Roman Saini.
It initially started as a YouTube channel, and at present, the edtech giant boasts of 50K teachers and has more than 62 million students.
The edtech unicorn was valued at $3.4 billion during its last round.
At the IPL 2022, Unacademy joins as an official sponsor of the competition, while it also partners with Kolkata Knight Riders as a Principal Sponsor and has got features on the back of the team’s jersey.
CRED
Founded: 2018
Founder: Shah
CRED offers premium credit card customers rewards and benefits on paying credit card bills.
Currently, the startup boasts over 7.5 Million members, partnerships with 12+ credit card issuers (banks), and a recent $5 Million Investment in the debt recovery platform CredAvenue.
At IPL 2022, the fintech unicorn has joined as an official sponsor, for a reported INR 35 Crore.
Upstox
Founded: 2008
Founder: Shrini Viswanath, Raghu Kumar, and Ravi Kumar
Upstox’s parent company is RKSV Securities.
It started as a proprietary trading company but ventured into retail brokerage with the launch of Upstox in the year 2012. It offers online stock market investment services, advisory services, mutual fund investments, and many more.
With its recent funding round worth $25 Million with Tiger Global at more than $3 billion valuation. Upstox is an official sponsor of the Tata IPL in 2022.
Swiggy Instamart
Founded: 2020
Swiggy Instamart is now serving customers across 18 cities in India, and doing more than1 a Million orders per week, it said.
Swiggy Instamart is an official partner of IPL 2022, representing the grocery delivery section at this year’s cricket league.
BookMyShow
Founded: 1999
Founder: Ashish Hemrajani, Parikshit Dhar, and Rajesh Balpande.
BookMyShow’s online ticketing platform offers events, movies, sports, and plays. And recently it has announced that it will be the official ticketing partner for IPL 2022.
BookMyShow managed venue services for all stadiums, including gate entry and spectator management services for the 70 league matches. The ticket prices are available from INR 800 onwards.
Where to watch free Live IPL Websites
CricTimeThe following Live TV apps claimed to provide free IPL 2022 Live Match whenever you're not around the television.
- CricHD
- CricFree
- SmartCric
- WebCric
- IPL Live Match Free
Mobile apps where you can watch IPL
- Disney+ Hotstar
- Airtel Prepaid
- JioTV
- Vi Plans with IPL Offer
- Tata Sky DTH
- YuppTV
