India’s Female Athletes Score Major Sponsorship Inroads     

It has been an eventful month for Indian female athletes culminating in a slew of sponsorship and marketing deals with some of the biggest brands in the market. 

First up, we have Puma sealing a sponsorship deal with Harmanpreet Kaur, the captain of India’s women’s cricket team.  

Under the deal, Harmanpreet Kaur has become a brand ambassador showcasing the sporting giant’s footwear, clothing, and accessories through a variety of events and campaigns all year long.

The deal attempts to be a front-runner to shatter stereotypes and cement a strong culture for female athletes in India. 

Harmanpreet Kaur joins Puma’s prestigious roster, which features some of the most biggest athletes in India and the world, including Mary Kom, Harleen Deol, Avani Lekhara, Virat Kohli, Sunil Chhetri, Usain Bolt and Neymar Jr.  

Meanwhile, Puma’s rival Adidas, has sealed a deal with Loitongbam Ashalata Devi, the captain of the India’s national women’s football team. 

Under the deal, she will collaborate with Adidas to participate and encourage youth while also taking the football to the next level in India.

Loitongbam Ashalata Devi is a professional Indian footballer who currently captains both the Indian National Team and the Indian Women’s League side Gokulam Kerala. She was also a member of the South Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship winning team in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019.

Finally, we have Hyundai Motor India (HMI) roping in India’s female cricketers for the automobile’s recent #TheDriveWithinCampaign.

The line-up features Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Yastika Bhatia and Renuka Singh, who will be recounting anecdotes of their hard work and motivation to inspire the next generation of female cricketers. 

The campaign echoes Hyundai Motor India’s (HMI) core principles and values as it goes further to understand the perseverance and grit of these groundbreaking players.

Hyundai Motor India Ltd is the second largest automobile manufacturer with a 15% market share as of 2022 and a US$5.5 billion turnover in India. 

According to ASN data, sponsorship investment in Indian women’s cricket has hit almost US$9.3m inQ123, registering a whopping 43% increase over the average quarterly investment of almost US$6.5m. Meanwhile, women’s football deals in India tend to be a rarity and Adidas has scored a significant coup in clinching deal with the national team captain.