MAM
BKT Tires partners with Mumbai Indians for IPL 2020
NEW DELHI: Balkrishna Industries will be sponsoring the reigning team, Mumbai Indians in the T 20 League 2020. The partnership is symbolic of BKT Tires’ support and love for the game of cricket.
In particular, BKT has been supporting Indian sports, since it never forgets its origins. The company had for instance a partnership with Patna Pirates, Puneri Paltan, Tamil Thalaivas, U Mumba, Gujarat Fortune Giants, U.P Yoddha, Dabang Delhi, and Haryana Steelers Kabaddi in the 2019 season – eight out of twelve teams of the Pro Kabaddi League. BKT is also collaborating with Tamil Nadu Premier League.
Read more stories on BKT Tires
“BKT is unstoppable when it is about sport and we are truly overjoyed to be partnering with the only four-time IPL Champion, Mumbai Indians. Cricket is a very popular sport in India and we are proud to be associated with a team that has been so closely connected with the legendary sports icon Sachin Tendulkar. We believe in sharing values such as resolution, fair play, persistence, and self-confidence as well as the awareness of one’s limits. We are a keen supporter of several national sports all around the globe, but it fills me with immense pleasure that we are now supporting such a significant sporting event in India,” BKT joint MD Rajiv Poddar.
The spokesperson of the team Mumbai Indians stated, “We are pleased to be associated with Balkrishna Industries Ltd. as part of this season’s campaign. At Mumbai Indians, we are committed towards achieving excellence to create an ecosystem of the sport, also inspiring our global audience. Similarly, BKT Tires have been consistently involved in promoting sports across boundaries. This association signifies a partnership between two entities with the same vision.”
The multinational group from India supports and follows many sporting events actively all over the world. BKT has been the Official and Exclusive Tire Manufacturer for Monster Jam, the thrilling American motor show, since 2014. BKT has also been title sponsor of several European football competitions, including the Serie BKT, the B football league in Italy, the Ligue 2 BKT in France, and last but not least, the company has become Official Global Partner of LaLiga, the top tier Spanish football division. All sport events are selected based on a precise strategy aiming at greater user proximity and increased brand awareness, assisted by IMG Reliance, the exclusive sports consulting agency for BKT in India.
Brands
YES Bank hands the keys to SBI veteran Vinay Tonse as it bets on a new era
Former SBI managing director appointed as YES Bank’s new MD and CEO
MUMBAI: YES Bank is done rebuilding. Now it wants to grow. The private sector lender has appointed Vinay Muralidhar Tonse as managing director and chief executive officer-designate, with RBI approval secured and a start date of April 6, 2026 confirmed. The three-year term signals the bank’s intent to shift gears from crisis recovery to full-throttle expansion.
Tonse, 60, is no stranger to scale. Most recently managing director at State Bank of India, he oversaw a retail book of roughly $800bn in deposits and advances, one of the largest in the country. Before that, he ran SBI Mutual Fund from August 2020 to December 2022, a stint that saw assets under management surge from Rs 4.32 lakh crore to Rs 7.32 lakh crore across market cycles. Add stints in Singapore and four years leading SBI’s overseas operations in Osaka, and the incoming chief arrives with a genuinely global CV.
His academic grounding is equally solid: a commerce degree from St Joseph’s College of Commerce, Bengaluru, and a master’s in commerce from Bangalore University.
The appointment follows an extensive search and evaluation process by the bank’s Nomination and Remuneration Committee. NRC chairperson Nandita Gurjar said the committee unanimously backed Tonse, citing his leadership track record, governance credentials and ability to drive the bank’s next phase of transformation.
Non-executive chairman Rama Subramaniam Gandhi was unequivocal. “I am certain that Vinay Tonse, with his vast experience as a senior banker, will propel YES Bank to its next phase of growth,” Gandhi said, adding that the bank remains focused on strengthening its retail and corporate banking franchises and expanding its branch network.
Rajeev Kannan, non-executive director and senior executive at Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the bank’s largest shareholder, said Tonse’s experience across retail, corporate banking, global markets and asset management positioned him well to lead the lender. SMBC said it looks forward to working with Tonse and the board as YES Bank pursues its ambition of becoming a top-tier private sector lender anchored in strong governance and sustainable growth.
Tonse succeeds Prashant Kumar, who took the helm in March 2020 when YES Bank was in freefall following a severe financial crisis, and spent six years painstakingly stabilising the institution, rebuilding governance and restoring operational scale. Gandhi was generous: “The bank remains indebted to Prashant Kumar, who is responsible for much of what a strong financial powerhouse YES Bank is today.”
Tonse, for his part, struck a purposeful note. “Together with the board and my colleagues, I remain deeply committed to creating long-term value for all our stakeholders,” he said, pledging to build on Kumar’s foundation guided by his personal motto: Make A Difference.
Beyond the balance sheet, Tonse played cricket at college and club level and represented Karnataka in archery at the national championships — sports he credits with teaching him teamwork, situational leadership, discipline and focus. In quieter moments, he reaches for retro Kannada music, classic Hindi songs, and the crooning of Engelbert Humperdinck, Mukesh and Kishore Kumar.
YES Bank has its steady-handed rebuilder in Kumar to thank for survival. Now it has a scale-obsessed growth banker at the wheel. The next chapter starts April 6.
