Sports
Budweiser 0.0 turns Colombo into cricket party central for India-Pakistan clash
BUD Hotel, legends Jonty Rhodes, Aaron Finch, Dale Steyn and Lotus Tower takeover fuel fan frenzy.
MUMBAI: When India and Pakistan lock horns on the pitch, Budweiser 0.0 decided the real game was off it and turned the whole of Colombo into one giant, non-alcoholic roar. On Sunday evening, as the T20 World Cup delivered one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries, the brand transformed the Sri Lankan capital into an immersive fan playground. At centre stage stood the BUD Hotel, a buzzing hub where supporters, creators and tastemakers collided in a swirl of live entertainment, curated vibes and pure match-day electricity.
True to form, Budweiser rolled out its signature Bud & Burgers ritual, blending food, fandom and culture into high-octane moments that kept the energy crackling. The guest list? Cricket royalty, Jonty Rhodes, Aaron Finch and Dale Steyn dropped in, not as distant icons but as part of the crowd, chatting, cheering and closing the gap between legends and everyday fans.
The brand didn’t stop at hospitality. Budweiser 0.0 flew in supporters and sports lovers from across India for the marquee fixture, giving them ringside seats to the action plus a full immersion in city-wide programming. The takeover reached sky-high when the iconic Lotus Tower lit up in Budweiser colours, a glowing beacon visible across Colombo, signalling that this wasn’t just a match, it was a movement.
Music added extra spice, Singaporean-Tamil rapper Yung Raja, famous for his bilingual “Tanglish” flow, delivered a special mid-innings performance that turned the break into a full-on sonic celebration, bridging the boundary rope and the global stage.
Fans flooded the streets in limited-edition Budweiser 0.0 jerseys, turning the city into a sea of blue pride and shared adrenaline. From immersive hangouts to cultural beats and fan-first touches, the activation amplified everything that makes India vs Pakistan special passion, noise, community without a drop of alcohol in sight.
AB Inbev India, vice president of marketing & trade marketing Vineet Sharma summed up the vibe, “In this T20 World Cup, Budweiser 0.0 is aiming to build a new standard for fan-first cricket experiences… From the BUD Hotel to the Lotus Tower takeover, and with legends Jonty Rhodes, Aaron Finch and Dale Steyn joining the fan-first Bud and Burgers experience, we created an unforgettable expression of passion, celebrations and community.”
While the scoreboard settled the on-field battle, off it Budweiser 0.0 proved that the biggest sixes can sometimes come from throwing the ultimate party, one where every fan feels like they’re in the middle of the action.
Sports
JioStar drags Legends League Cricket to Delhi High Court in media rights row
The streaming giant secured an interim order on the very day the tournament was set to kick off, freezing commercial dealings and pushing the dispute toward mediation
MUMBAI: JioStar India moved fast and hit hard. On March 11th, the same day the Legends League Cricket Masters T20 Tournament was scheduled to begin, the company secured an interim order from the Delhi High Court against Absolute Legends Sports Private Limited, the outfit that runs the league, in a bitter dispute over media and commercial rights.
The petition, filed under Section 9 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, before Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, sought ad-interim protection preventing Absolute Legends from creating third-party rights, transferring, assigning or otherwise dealing with the media and commercial rights relating to the league. In plain terms: JioStar wanted to stop Absolute Legends from doing any more deals with anyone else while the dispute runs its course.
What Absolute Legends agreed to
Senior advocate Abhimanyu Bhandari, appearing for Absolute Legends, did not come to court empty-handed. He submitted that the company would file a comprehensive affidavit disclosing all commercial transactions currently being undertaken, including the agreement entered into with the second respondent in the case. The affidavit, he said, would be filed by all directors of the company.
Crucially, Bhandari also undertook that any receivables arising from commercial arrangements connected to the league would be deposited directly with the court, in an account to be opened by the registrar general, toward satisfaction of the admitted liability. The one caveat: those deposits should not prevent Absolute Legends from meeting its operational expenses necessary for the smooth functioning of its commercial activities. In other words, the company wants to keep the lights on while the legal battle plays out.
JioStar was represented by senior advocate Kunal Tandon, leading a team that included Aanchal Tandon, Niti Jain, Niharika Sharma, Nitai Agarwal and Natasa, along with Krishma Shah as the authorised representative of the petitioner.
Mediation ordered, next date set
Both sides agreed that the matter should be referred for mediation, and the court obliged. The dispute was directed to the Delhi High Court Mediation and Conciliation Centre, with parties ordered to appear before it on March 13th. The incharge of the mediation centre was requested to appoint a senior mediator. The case is listed before the court again on March 17th for further proceedings.
The timing could hardly be more awkward for Legends League Cricket. A tournament that was supposed to be launching was instead the subject of a courtroom freeze on the very day it was meant to kick off. Whether mediation resolves the dispute quickly or the matter returns to a full hearing on March 17th, one thing is clear: JioStar is not prepared to let its rights walk out the door without a fight.
