Qatar Airways Welcomes Royal Challengers Bangalore to its Diverse Sports Sponsorship Portfolio

Qatar Airways has announced their latest partnership with club cricket giants, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), becoming the Indian Premier League (IPL) team’s Official Front of Jersey Partner.

The Indian Premier 2023 season will take place between 31 March – 28 May, with the Bengaluru based cricket team playing their opening match on 2 April against the Mumbai Indians. In the presence of 40,000 fans, RCB’s home arena – the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, hosted a special “Unboxing Event” that featured cricket legends, celebrities, team officials and the likes of cricket superstars Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Glen Maxwell. Fans watched the RCB squad train in an entertaining atmosphere, after which the Qatar Airways cabin crew greeted the team during a special jersey unveiling ceremony.

According to Qatar Airways, the airline’s leisure division – Qatar Airways Holidays, is exclusively launching all-inclusive travel packages, allowing cricket fans to attend an IPL match at the bespoke Qatar Airways hospitality lounge at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said:  “We embark on a new journey with the addition of the Royal Challengers Bangalore to our extensive sports portfolio. The team has a passionate fanbase and a well-represented list of cricket legends that have played for the team. Cricket is a global game with a world-wide audience and is a powerful means of uniting people of different backgrounds. From start to end, our RCB packages will take the fan experience to the next level with a seamless journey to witness world-class cricket and entertainment.”

“Qatar Airways regards India as an important market where we operate non-stop flights from 13 Indian cities. Our operations from India also serve connections to 13 cities in North America and 35 cities in Europe through our hub – Hamad International Airport, which was awarded Skytrax World’s Best Airport award for the past two years. We are excited to partner with RCB over the next three years in what we trust will be a successful alliance.”

Chairman of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chief Commercial Officer of Diageo India, Prathmesh Mishra, said: “We are thrilled at the potential of the RCB – Qatar Airways partnership. The synergies between both brands serve as a robust platform to build a very strong marketing association over the next three years and beyond.”

Qatar Airways said it is committed to supporting global sports, helping fans travel to their favourite events wherever they may be.