Google Gemini has signed a three-year sponsorship agreement worth Rs 270 crore with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for the Indian Premier League. The deal is set to begin with the 2026 season and run through 2028, according to industry executives familiar with the agreement.
Under the contract, Gemini becomes one of the league’s key sponsors, gaining visibility across broadcast, digital, and on-ground IPL assets during matches.
The Indian Premier League remains the world’s most valuable cricket property, providing enormous reach to both TV and streaming audiences. The IPL is a huge opportunity for Google to connect with India’s young and mobile-first audience on a large scale.
Gemini has emerged as Google’s flagship AI brand globally. The IPL partnership provides the company with a high-impact platform to raise consumer awareness, normalize everyday AI use, and compete aggressively in India’s rapidly growing artificial intelligence market.
The deal highlights a clear shift in IPL sponsorship categories. Restrictions on real-money gaming advertisements have forced the league to look beyond traditional high-spending sectors. Technology, fintech, and now artificial intelligence brands have stepped in to fill the gap.
Industry executives say AI companies see cricket sponsorships as long-term brand-building investments rather than short-term lead-generation plays.
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Not entirely, but AI has become prominent. Artificial intelligence brands have started to look at sports as a mainstream marketing channel in India, rather than an experimental one, with Gemini coming into the IPL and competing platforms supporting other cricket properties.
This movement aligns with the overall advertisement patterns, where technology companies are gradually investing more and more in mass-reach platforms to gain the public’s trust and make them familiar with the product.
The Gemini deal is a confirmation of the IPL’s power to lure global tech giants, no matter the regulatory and market changes. For Google, this is a decisive step toward enlightening AI as a consumer product instead of just an enterprise tool.
The IPL is going to enter a new commercial cycle, with artificial intelligence turning out to be a greater part of it, both in terms of visibility on screens and sponsorship.