Killer Jeans maker now jersey sponsor of Indian cricket team; MPL out

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has found a replacement for one of the two jersey sponsors of Team India. The cricket body has signed Kewal Kiran Clothing, the maker of Killer Jeans, as the official partner of the Indian cricket team for five months (until May 31, 2023), the company said in a statement on Friday.

Kewal Kiran Clothing, which also owns brands such as Lawman and Integriti, replaces gaming firm MPL, which has been keen to exit its jersey sponsorship, BCCI sources said. Under this deal, the flagship brand (Killer) is on display on the right upper chest of the Team India jersey, the company said.

The BCCI is yet to find a replacement to the other Team India jersey sponsor, Bjyu’s, which has been looking to exit its sponsorship for some time now. In June, the edtech major extended its jersey sponsorship with the BCCI for a year-and-a-half (until November 2023) for around Rs 280-300 crore, after much negotiation, informed sources said.

Byju’s original jersey contract with the BCCI, which began in 2019 after it replaced smartphone maker Oppo, concluded in March 2022. Byju’s inherited the valuation of the old contract that amounted to paying Rs 4.61 crore per bilateral match and Rs 1.51 crore per match in an ICC event. Oppo’s original five-year (2017-22) deal with BCCI was worth Rs 1,079 crore.

The cricket body, according to persons in the know, has asked Byju's to continue as the Team India jersey sponsor until March 31, 2023, after which it may announce a replacement.

In September, the BCCI replaced Paytm with Mastercard as the title sponsor for all international and domestic cricket matches organised by the board on home ground. The agreement would run until the end of 2023 and would see Mastercard continuing to pay Rs 3.8 crore per match, according to the original terms of the deal between BCCI and Paytm, persons in the know said. Paytm’s original four-year (2019-2023) deal was worth Rs 326.80 crore.

Kewal Kiran Clothing, meanwhile, said that through its network of over 350 stores, 1,800 large-format stores and over 4,000 multi-brand outlets, it would bring the Indian jersey to cricket fans. “As a homegrown brand, we are excited to be offered this opportunity to showcase ourselves on one of the most prestigious assets in world sport,” said Hemant Jain, Kewal Kiran Clothing’s joint MD.