New Delhi: When it comes to cricket fans, even the smallest of the details about the game cannot go unnoticed. This time, it were the sponsors on various cricket jerseys that caught a curious hawk-eyed fan's attention.
The cricket enthusiast made an intriguing point that will make you scratch your heads - Why is it that two of India's most famous brands, Amul and Kent RO Systems, have sponsored Afghanistan and Sri Lanka cricket teams respectively, while Indian Jersey flashes Chinese brand Oppo? "Indian players are wearing OPPO, a Chinese phone company, logo. Afghan are wearing Amul, India's best loved brand! Just saying!" the fan tweeted.
Right from their first match of 2019 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup, which took place on June 5, the Indian cricketers have been sporting a blue jersey with 'Oppo' printed in white on the left sleeve, for every Match. Oppo, a Chinese consumer electronics and mobile communications company, is the official sponsor of the Indian team.
The Indian division of the Chinese company, OPPO Mobiles India, won the team's sponsorship rights for a five-year period starting April 1, 2017. This means, the brand will continue sponsoring the team till 2022. Reportedly, OPPO Mobiles will pay INR 1079 crore (approx USD 162 million) for the duration of their contract.
From being sponsored by Wills Navy Cut, an Indian brand of cigarettes, during the early years, to being financed by Oppo, the sponsorship is only getting better and heavier with every passing world cup tournament.
Meanwhile, for the same tournament, Afghanistan's jersey has been marked by Indian dairy company Amul, the team's sponsor of this season. The logo features on their left sleeves.
It is interesting to note that this is the third time that Amul is sponsoring a cricket team in the World Cup and not once has it been the Indian team. In the past, the company was associated with New Zealand and Holland world cup teams.
On the other hand, Indian healthcare products company, Kent RO Systems, has sponsored the cricket team of our neighbouring country - Sri Lanka. The logo of Kent is printed on their jersey.
Earlier this year, as part of a strategic move to expand into the international market, Kent RO Systems Limited emerged as the principal sponsor for the Sri Lanka Cricket Team for the ongoing championship.
While the reason behind these juxtapositions is not clear, it seems with Indian brands supporting other countries' cricket teams and foreign brands supporting our world cup team. Cricket is in a way bringing countries and their markets closer.
