A Fruitful Partnership

Two-thirds of the companies sponsoring the IPL this year are startups. does it make economic sense for a bleeding business to do so?

- Varsha Meghani

After unleashing his fifth consecutive six of the over, Rahul Tewatia walked down the middle of the crease and fist-pumped his teammate. As the uncannily composed Rajasthan Royals batsman chatted with the nonstriker, the cameras closed in on him. His shiny pink and blue jersey didn’t just have the number seven printed on the back, but also the word “Niine”.

That an obscurely known Kanpurbased sanitary napkin brand should be “principal sponsor” of the Rajasthan Royals franchise in what is cricket’s most glitzy tournament—the Indian Premier League (IPL)—became a talking point. Not just because the two-year-old Niine occupied prominent space on the jersey, more so than biggies like Reliance Jio and cable company KEI—also principal sponsors of the team—but because a female hygiene product was being endorsed by male players. “We wanted to break the shame and stereotypes around periods by showcasing our brand on a man’s platform,” says Sharat Khemka, founder and CEO of Niine.

Early results on the bet have been encouraging. Distributors across India and Rajasthan, in particular, are eager to stock Niine’s products. Says Krishna Sharma, a sales manager, “Earlier I would have to work hard to convince distributors to buy stock worth ₹3 lakh and they would refuse, saying nobody will buy a local brand. Now those same distributors have approached me and are willing to invest up to ₹40 lakh to get our products.” Adds Khemka, “We would never get this kind of traction on any other platform. The IPL is one of its kind.” And this edition, in particular, is more so. Despite shifting to the United Arab Emirates this year because of India’s growing Covid-19 caseload and empty stadiums, the tournament has been off to a blistering start.