To mark the growing presence of AI in sports marketing, the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has reportedly at last signed a whopping ₹270-crore sponsorship deal with Google’s Gemini AI platform for January 2026.
The Indian Premier League (IPL)-linked three-year contract is seen as one of the most significant entries of an AI platform into Indian cricket sponsorship. Industry analysts see this collaboration as an example of the world’s most-watched cricket league partnering with technology.
A BCCI official told PTI, “The deal is for three years and reinforces IPL’s global appeal,” per NDTV. Back in November, with ChatGPT’s association with WPL, BCCI secretary spoke on the significance of the partnership, saying, “From global leaders in AI, manufacturing and beverages to trusted Indian consumer brands, this partnership mix will play a critical role in shaping the fan experience and supporting the growth of women’s cricket,” per NDTV.
The Gemini sponsorship deal is one more that BCCI claims ownership of. Recently, the cricket board signed a ₹45-crore contract with Asian Paints and, concurrently, entered into an even larger ₹579-crore five-year jersey sponsorship deal with Apollo Tyres.
The announcement’s timing alone indicates the IPL’s unrivaled commercial appeal. The IPL has been positioned, in terms of per-game valuation, as the second-most valuable sports league worldwide after the NFL, and thus keeps wooing the very best sponsors from all over the world and across every sector.
Now that Google’s AI platform is part of the IPL ecosystem, the league is ready to leverage cutting-edge technology to enhance fan engagement and drive digital innovation. The alliance is believed to deploy AI-powered tools that might change the way millions of cricket fans follow the tournament.
