Cricket is more than just a sport in India — it’s a cultural phenomenon, a billion-eyeball spectacle, and a marketing goldmine. Naturally, brands line up to have their names splashed across Team India’s iconic blue jersey, hoping the association will cement their legacy. Yet, over the years, the jersey seems to have carried not just prestige, but a strange curse. Many brands that once proudly sponsored the Indian cricket team have either vanished, struggled financially, or faded into irrelevance. This recurring pattern has led fans and industry watchers to call it the “sponsorship jinx.”
The Long List of Casualties
Look back at the brands once synonymous with Indian cricket jerseys, and a pattern emerges:
- Sahara India: Dominated the jersey through the 2000s but eventually collapsed under financial scandals.
- Sahara successor, Star India: A media powerhouse, now absorbed into Disney and shrinking in influence amid changing media consumption patterns.
- OPPO: The Chinese smartphone brand withdrew its sponsorship earlier than expected, citing financial strain.
- Byju’s: Once the world’s most valued edtech unicorn, now battling mounting losses, layoffs, and an existential crisis.
- WPL and MPL Sports: The kit manufacturers faced turbulence, with MPL (Mobile Premier League) reducing operations and restructuring.
It’s almost eerie: being emblazoned on the Blue Brigade seems less like a blessing and more like a countdown timer.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
The Sky-High Costs
Sponsorship deals with the BCCI don’t come cheap. With bidding wars pushing valuations into the hundreds of crores, many brands stretch themselves thin just to secure the rights. While the visibility is unparalleled, sustaining that financial burden becomes challenging, especially when market conditions tighten.
Unsustainable Business Models
Several sponsors — edtech unicorns, new-age consumer tech firms, or overleveraged conglomerates — were already on shaky ground. The sponsorship, instead of stabilizing them, often exposed just how fragile their growth was. Byju’s, for instance, was burning cash in a bid to capture global markets while spending crores on sponsorships.
Overexposure, Underreturn
Being on Team India’s jersey guarantees visibility, but not necessarily conversions. Fans cheer for Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, or Shubman Gill — not for the logo on their chest. Unlike FMCG giants like Coca-Cola or Nike, many of these sponsors lacked long-term brand stickiness.
The Curse of Public Scrutiny
When your name is on India’s most beloved jersey, every stumble gets magnified. Any dip in service, product quality, or corporate misstep invites public ridicule amplified by cricket fans and media alike. What might be a minor slip for another company becomes a national talking point for a jersey sponsor.
Exceptions to the Rule
Not every sponsor has been buried under the jinx. Nike, despite eventually losing its India kit deal, remains a global behemoth. Dream11, which sponsored the team in patches, continues to thrive in fantasy sports. But such examples are rare compared to the graveyard of brands that once glittered across the blue shirt.
Is It Really a Jinx?
The so-called curse might be less supernatural and more about flawed strategy. Companies often see the Indian cricket jersey as a shortcut to credibility. But without a robust core business, no amount of prime-time visibility can save them. The jersey doesn’t turn brands to dust — it merely exposes their fragility under the brightest spotlight in Indian sport.
