Apollo Tyres Bags India Jersey Rights for INR 579 Crore

A Record-Breaking Deal in Indian Cricket

Indian cricket has always been more than just a sport—it’s an emotion that unites more than a billion people. Now, Apollo Tyres has made history by securing the jersey sponsorship rights of Team India for a staggering INR 579 crore, one of the biggest commercial agreements in Indian cricket’s history. This landmark deal will see Apollo Tyres’ logo feature prominently on the jerseys of the Men’s, Women’s, and Under-19 Indian cricket teams across all formats. For Apollo Tyres, this is not just an investment in marketing but a strategic step toward strengthening its global footprint by associating with one of the most powerful sporting brands in the world—Team India.

Why Apollo Tyres Chose Cricket and Team India

Apollo Tyres has long been known for its strategic partnerships in sports, particularly football, with clubs like Manchester United and Crystal Palace. However, cricket in India offers unmatched visibility compared to any other sport. The Indian cricket team enjoys a fan base of over 1.4 billion people in India and millions more worldwide, making it the most followed team globally. By sponsoring Team India’s jerseys, Apollo Tyres will enjoy continuous exposure in every international match, whether it’s a high-voltage India vs. Pakistan clash, a World Cup final, or a Test series in foreign conditions.
Cricket is not just a sport in India; it is woven into the culture, daily conversations, and national identity. This makes it a perfect platform for Apollo Tyres to strengthen brand recall, customer trust, and visibility across diverse audiences.

Breaking Down the INR 579 Crore Deal

The five-year deal, worth INR 579 crore, was finalized by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) after a competitive bidding process. This translates to Apollo Tyres paying over INR 115 crore annually to display its logo on Team India jerseys. To put this in perspective, Apollo Tyres’ deal surpasses the sponsorship amounts paid by several past partners and shows how brand competition in sports marketing is intensifying.
The partnership is set to cover all formats of the game—Test matches, ODIs, and T20Is, as well as global tournaments like the ICC Men’s and Women’s World Cups, Asia Cups, and bilateral series. Each of these events garners massive worldwide viewership, ensuring Apollo Tyres is seen by hundreds of millions of fans across television, streaming platforms, and stadiums.

How This Impacts Indian Cricket

The financial benefits of this deal extend beyond branding. The BCCI will channel these funds into grassroots cricket, infrastructure development, training facilities, and player welfare. With the sport expanding rapidly in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, such financial inflows will strengthen India’s cricketing pipeline and ensure future generations of talent have access to world-class facilities.
Moreover, the deal reinforces how commercial sponsorships are now the lifeline of modern sports, allowing governing bodies like the BCCI to balance infrastructure spending with the increasing demands of global tournaments.

Apollo Tyres’ Growing Sporting Legacy

Apollo Tyres has built a reputation for associating with high-visibility sports worldwide. Its partnership with Manchester United made it a household name among football fans, while its collaborations with Premier League clubs like Crystal Palace and Bundesliga clubs like Borussia Monchengladbach established credibility in global sports. With cricket, Apollo has now entered the most passionate fan market in the world.
This move ensures Apollo Tyres is no longer just seen as a tyre company but as a global lifestyle and performance-driven brand. By being on Team India’s jersey, Apollo places itself in front of an audience that connects performance, durability, and reliability with both cricket and tyre technology—making the brand recall even more powerful.

What This Means for Fans

For cricket fans, jersey sponsorships may seem like corporate advertising, but they hold symbolic meaning. Every time Virat Kohli scores a century, Rohit Sharma smashes a six, or Smriti Mandhana raises her bat in victory, the Apollo Tyres logo will be part of the memory. Fans often purchase replica jerseys, making the sponsor’s presence a part of their personal cricket experience. For Apollo Tyres, this means not just television or digital visibility but also merchandise-driven brand reinforcement.
Fans take pride in wearing the Indian jersey, and now Apollo Tyres will be forever tied with moments of joy, pride, and emotion in Indian cricket.

How Cricket Sponsorship Has Evolved

Sponsorships in cricket have come a long way. In the early days, Indian jerseys bore simpler logos from government-owned companies. Over the years, corporate sponsorships became multi-crore competitions, with companies like Sahara, BYJU’S, Dream11, and MPL previously adorning Team India’s jerseys.
However, the Apollo Tyres deal signifies a new era of skyrocketing sponsorship costs. The commercial potential of cricket in India is unmatched, with matches often drawing higher television ratings than Bollywood blockbusters or political events. This makes sponsorship not just advertising but a high-stakes investment that guarantees returns in visibility and brand value.

Global Impact of the Deal

The significance of this deal goes beyond India. Team India plays around the globe—from Australia to England, from the Caribbean to South Africa. This ensures that Apollo Tyres’ logo is visible to global cricket audiences, reinforcing its ambition to expand in international markets. Cricket viewership has also grown in countries like the USA and Middle East, further amplifying the global impact of this sponsorship.
In particular, with cricket set to feature in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Apollo Tyres’ association with the Indian team could give it a first-mover advantage in connecting with new audiences in the US and beyond.

Reactions from the Industry

The announcement has been met with excitement across both the sporting and business communities. Marketing experts view the deal as strategically brilliant, as it aligns Apollo Tyres with the most followed sports brand in India. Fans, meanwhile, are curious to see the new jersey design and how the Apollo Tyres logo will integrate into the iconic blue kit.
Industry analysts also predict that this deal could trigger a domino effect, with rival brands aggressively targeting IPL teams, other national cricket boards, or even athletes individually for endorsements.

What’s Next for Apollo Tyres and BCCI

For Apollo Tyres, the challenge will be to leverage this sponsorship effectively through integrated marketing campaigns, social media activations, and fan engagement initiatives. Simply having a logo on the jersey is not enough—it must be combined with storytelling and campaigns that connect emotionally with fans.
For the BCCI, this deal sets a benchmark for future sponsorship negotiations. It is likely that future jersey deals may even surpass this figure, especially given cricket’s ever-growing popularity and digital reach.

FAQs

1. How much did Apollo Tyres pay for India’s jersey sponsorship rights?
Apollo Tyres paid INR 579 crore for a five-year jersey sponsorship deal.

2. Which teams are covered under this sponsorship?
The deal covers the Men’s, Women’s, and Under-19 Indian cricket teams across all formats.

3. Who were the previous sponsors of Team India’s jerseys?
Brands like BYJU’S, Dream11, and MPL previously held sponsorship rights.

4. Will the Apollo Tyres logo appear in ICC tournaments?
Yes, it will feature on India’s jerseys in World Cups, Asia Cups, and other ICC events.

5. What benefits does Apollo Tyres gain from this deal?
The sponsorship ensures global brand visibility, strong fan connection, and association with India’s most powerful sporting brand.

6. How will this deal impact Indian cricket?
The funds will support grassroots cricket, infrastructure, and player development, benefiting the future of Indian cricket.