Jio Chat principal sponsor for Jaipur Pink Panthers

Defending champions of the Star Sports Pro Kabaddi League the Jaipur Pink Panthers have roped in Jio Chat as the principal sponsor (front jersey) for this season. The Abhishek Bachchan-promoted team has also retained Shakti Pumps as one of the jersey sponsors (sleeves).

Winning the tournament last year, the Panthers became one of the most popular teams from the league, along with Ronnie Screwvala's UMumba. Both these teams are looking at leading the sponsorships among the PKL franchises. In fact, the success of the league and team has helped Bachchan soar into profitability in the second year of the league.

"While I cannot reveal the numbers, I am a happy man since I have achieved profitability this year. It was unexpected and a welcome surprise. Apart from the success of the league, what has been instrumental in achieving this has been the league's flexible model for sponsorships. For example, this year, sponsors from both the playing sides will get placement on the LED's around the playing area. This means sponsors will be able to spread their visibility to all the nine cities where the matches will take place," Bachchan says. The teams are allowed a total of seven brand placements on the players' uniform (front of jersey, back of the jersey, three on jersey sleeves and two on the shorts) and the other sponsors can partner for various paraphernalia like kit, apparel and beverage. Sponsors can also opt for on-ground partnership where the brand will be displayed on LED screens surrounding the playing area.

Each promoter has incurred an expense of Rs 7-8 crore this year, including franchise fee, player acquisition cost, team management and marketing. Last year, the teams spent around Rs 5 crore on the same.

Bachchan, who also co-owns the Chennaiyin FC team in the Hero Indian Super League, plans to hedge the two teams for sponsorships on the future. "It's an idea we have toyed with and the sponsors seem pretty excited about. It gives a chance to the national players to reach across geographies and have sustained visibility throughout the year, or at least a better part of it," says Bachchan.

The team has not only got a new jersey, with numerous sponsors on board, it has a new logo.

The logo, developed by Ogilvy and Mather, has the titular pink panther standing with arms across his chest and a slight smirk on his face. "I wanted the logo to reflect a certain attitude and I wanted a straighter body language in the panther. So we decided to change it and I must say, I am very happy with the result. We also developed the anthem and other marketing strategies in-house," informs Bachchan.