Jet Air, Etihad to sponsor Mumbai Indians

NEW DELHI: Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, whose popular logo seen so far on the Manchester City Football Club shirt and during the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, will now sponsor Mumbai Indians, the country’s biggest cricket franchise.

In their first co-branding exercise after firming up its partnership— the two airlines on Thursday announced plans to sponsor the Indian Premier League (IPL) team. In the past IPL editions, the franchise was sponsored by India’s national carrier Air India.

“As India continues to play an important part in the growth of Etihad Airways, this new sponsorship deal provides an excellent opportunity for us to reinforce our global brand in India,” said James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad Airways.

This is Etihad’s first high profile sports sponsorship in the region and comes close on the heels of the IPL being shifted to United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the first phase of matches. In UAE, Mumbai Indians will play its home matches at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

While the logo of the two airlines will be prominently displayed on the Mukesh Ambani-owned cricket team’s jersey and merchandise, the Etihad Airways and Jet Airways branding will also get prominent placement on the LED pitch-side advertising and giant screens inside the stadium.