MAM
PKL: sponsors adding up even as matches start
MUMBAI: Pro-Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 5 has begun and is still seeing a lot of interest from the brands. PKL already has six sponsors and three partners which includes Vivo — the title sponsor. The latest entrant is Manyavar as an on-ground sponsor.
The sponsorship for PKL Season 5 has increased by 12 per cent as compared to the sponsorship for Season 4, which was 59 per cent. On-ground sponsorship in 2015 and 2016 for PKL was Rs 480 million and Rs 1.23 billion, respectively.
Vivo reportedly signed a Rs 3 billion deal for five years with the league. Associate sponsors — Gillette, TVS Motors, Association of Mutual Funds of India, Bajaj Electricals, Indo Nissin, RR Kabel and Manyavar have paid around Rs 120-150 million each, according to industry sources.
Star India EVP Anil Jayaraj said, “Kabaddi has been clearly established as the number two sport in India after cricket.” With 10-second spots selling at an average of Rs 1.5 lakh, media buyers said that the rates are just lower than the Indian Premier League as far as sports events are concerned.
Each match has around 3,000 seconds of inventory, and with more than 50 per cent of the inventory sold, Star India is “already in a good place.” PKL’s sponsorship revenue is up by 320 per cent from a “battery of new advertisers,” with 12 teams competing for Rs 80 million worth of prize money.
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Brands
Dabur buys minority stake in Ras Beauty for Rs 60 crore
Dabur Ventures deal backs fast-growing luxury skincare brand
MUMBAI: Dabur India Limited has dipped into the world of luxury skincare, signing a definitive agreement to acquire a minority stake in Ras Beauty Private Limited for Rs 60 crore. The investment marks the first bet from Dabur Ventures, the FMCG major’s Rs 500 crore platform set up in October 2025 to back high-potential, new-age direct-to-consumer brands.
Founded in Raipur by Shubhika Jain, her sister Suramya Jain and their mother Sangeeta Jain, Ras Beauty has grown from a family-led passion project into a fast-scaling “Farm-to-Face” skincare label. Its range of face elixirs, serums and moisturisers blends essential oils with nature-derived actives, striking a balance between botanical purity and laboratory precision.
The numbers tell their own story. Ras has clocked a three-year Cagr of around 75 per cent and an annual run rate of approximately Rs 100 crore, all while maintaining strong gross margins. That growth has been fuelled by a digital-first approach, in-house R&D and manufacturing, and a sharp focus on clean, sustainable sourcing.
Dabur India executive director and group head corporate strategy Abhinav Dhall, said the company was drawn to Ras’s distinct positioning at the intersection of nature, science and luxury. He added that the premium beauty segment is poised for robust expansion over the coming decade, and that Ras is well placed to capture that opportunity.
For Ras, the partnership is as much about scale as it is about shared philosophy. Co-founder and CEO Shubhika Jain said Dabur’s 141-year legacy of building trusted, purpose-led brands makes it a natural ally. The capital infusion, she noted, will help accelerate the brand’s omnichannel footprint, deepen research capabilities and invest in team and brand building, with an eye on establishing Ras as a leading Indian luxury skincare name both domestically and overseas.
With this move, Dabur is not just investing in a skincare label. It is placing an early wager on India’s growing appetite for premium, conscious beauty, and signalling that heritage FMCG players are ready to play in the new-age D2C arena.
