BENGALURU: The ‘Nandini logo’ will now be seen on the jerseys of Scotland and Ireland cricket teams in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, to be played in the United States of America and West Indies from June 1 to 29.
Under the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) -- a dairy cooperative owned by the state, Nandini, a household name with its various dairy products used by lakhs, aims to acquire a global image by sponsoring the two teams.
During the tournament, the brand is also looking to launch a whey-based energy drink ‘Nandini Splash’ in the US in different flavours such as orange, litchi, lemon and mango. The cooperative sees the tournament, co-hosted by the West Indies and USA, as a good opportunity to increase its revenue and customer base. The brand name and logo will appear on the lead arm of the jerseys of the players. The cooperative will also run social media campaigns to promote itself in association with the teams.
KMF Managing Director KM Jagadish said, “Cricket is a much-loved sport and this sponsorship aims to reach the Indian diaspora in the global markets, making Nandini a brand across many countries. This will be a great moment for Kannadigas as a home-grown brand becomes a global one.” Asked why the Indian cricket team was not sponsored, he said the costs are too high and “KMF won’t be able to offer such large amounts.”
Why didn’t KMF sponsor K’taka sports team, asks Pai
While many were thrilled with Nandini going global, several took to social media and questioned the cooperative and government as to why a Karnataka-based product was sponsoring teams abroad. TV Mohandas Pai, former Infosys director, also joined the online debate and asked why did KMF not sponsor the state sports teams and artists.
“Why not sponsor the Karnataka Ranji team, Karnataka sports persons, Karnataka artists? Farmers’ children, scholarship for poor? KMF is funded by Kannadiga taxpayers’ money, subsidy and investments from the budget but chooses to spend on foreign teams whom nobody knows!” wrote the businessman on X. Previously, KMF had sponsored the Bengaluru team in the Pro Kabaddi League. It has presence in international markets such as the Middle East, Singapore, Bhutan and Myanmar.
The costs for the sponsorship for the two teams are estimated at Rs 2-2.5 crore per team, according to sources familiar with the deal.