Catalyst 2.0: Eighty Percent of IPL 2025 Team Sponsorships are Secured

ITW Catalyst, a sports consultancy organization established in 2019, has just renamed as Catalyst 2.0 to represent its evolving approach to customer interaction. In IPL 2024, the firm arranged 28 sponsorship deals for ten teams, collaborating with well-known companies such as HDFC PayZapp, Arun Ice Cream, Coca-Cola, ITC, NueGo, and Ubon. Notably, the company secured deals totaling more than Rs 150 crore in 2023.

As the IPL 2025 ad inventory approaches a sell-out, Chintan Jhaveri, chief commercial officer of Catalyst 2.0, discusses the rationale for the rebrand, emphasizing that while sports remain the company's core expertise, today's consumers engage with brands across multiple passion points—live events, Bollywood, OTT platforms, and more. This method demonstrates the company's diversification.

IPL Sponsorship

The IPL 2025 mega auction saw substantial player changes, providing possibilities for corporations to realign their sponsorship strategy. "About 80% of the IPL 2025 brand sponsorship has already been sold. "The excitement surrounding the player auctions has resulted in a steady stream of brands wanting to join the bandwagon," adds Jhaveri.

(Trivia: Brand sponsorship is the practice of sponsoring teams, events, or activities in order to increase awareness, such as a team's shirt, which provides game-long exposure. Media sponsorship, meanwhile, works with venues such as TV, publications, or websites for promotion.

Jhaveri emphasizes that sponsorship techniques differ greatly. While some businesses strive for broad reach and immediate visibility, others want to stimulate trade networks or create regional supremacy.

"They just want to be part of the IPL. "This is where we come in—mapping the brand, identifying its key objectives, and aligning those goals with the appropriate teams, players, or associations," Jhaveri says.

The Catalyst 2.0 research team evaluates possible prospects, which may range from digital partnerships to on-site activations.

The consultancy firm also advises brands on creative amplification, frequently weighing the attractiveness of famous players like Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, and Rohit Sharma against the cost-effectiveness of harnessing a larger pool of talent.

Jhaveri mentions HDFC PayZapp's engagement with Royal Challengers Bangalore as a perfect example of a collaboration that went beyond media coverage to include exclusive incentives like early ticket access for app users.

For Advanced Laminates, the goal was to activate trade networks rather than traditional ad visibility. The company introduced a consumer contest that allowed trade partners to meet IPL players, increasing both partner engagement and consumer interest.

While many D2C firms are hesitant to promote during the IPL due to the crowded advertising environment, Jhaveri urges new-age brands to define their goals before negotiating a collaboration. "Each brand and sector has a unique incentive to associate with IPL. "When you define your 'why,' the partnership becomes much more effective," he emphasizes.