Preity Zinta’s Kings XI Punjab gets Emirates as sponsor
Dubai-based Emirates has become the main sponsor of the Kings XI Punjab IPL team. The Kings XI Punjab is one of the eight competing cricket franchisees of the Indian Premier League, based in Mohali, representing a huge catchment area of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir.
Owned by actress Preity Zinta and businessmen Ness Wadia, Karan Paul and Mohit Burman, the Kings XI Punjab is captained by cricket sensation Yuvraj Singh and coached by former Australian all-rounder Tom Moody.
The squad line-up includes a number of legendary players such as Brett Lee, one of the world’s fastest bowlers, Sri Lankan pair Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan, wicket keeper James Hopes and Durban-based Yusuf Abdulla.
Kings XI Punjab’s first match is against the Delhi Daredevils in Cape Town on April 19.
Maurice Flanagan, Executive Vice Chairman, Emirates Airline and Group, said: “Emirates is a great supporter of global sporting events, and we are very excited to announce our partnership with the Kings XI Punjab team. With cricket being the number one sport in India, it was only natural for us to form a partnership with one of the leading teams in the Indian Premier League; a tournament that invokes such passion amongst the cricket fans all around the world”.
Flanagan added that “this three-year sponsorship commitment will allow Emirates to become closer to our customer base in one of the most important regions on our network.”
The IPL is the first of three significant sporting events taking place in South Africa over the next 18 months that Emirates is involved in – the other two being the FIFA Confederations Cup in June and next year’s FIFA World Cup
In addition to the title sponsorship of the Kings XI Punjab, Emirates is also an Official Partner of the ICC and sponsor of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and Referees.