MAM
Hero VIDA named title sponsor for India’s New Zealand tour
Electric vehicle brand takes naming rights across 12-match India-New Zealand series
MUMBAI: The India-New Zealand rivalry is about to get a little more charged, with an electric vehicle brand taking centre stage. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has named Hero VIDA as the title sponsor for India’s upcoming tour of New Zealand, giving the electric vehicle brand naming rights across the full 12-match series and a prominent presence throughout the tour.
The sponsorship has been facilitated by sports marketing company TCM Sports, which holds NZC’s exclusive naming rights and on-ground partnership from 2019 through 2031.
The 12-match tour begins on October 22, 2026 and will span all three formats, making it one of the bigger international assignments on New Zealand’s home calendar. It will also form part of the country’s ‘100 Years of Unity through Sport’ programme, marking a century of sporting ties between India and New Zealand.
That relationship traces back to 1926, when an Indian Army hockey team first toured New Zealand. A century later, cricket is providing the latest stage for the two countries’ sporting connection.
Sanjay Bhan, executive vice president, Global Business, Global Product Planning and Global Market Insights, Hero MotoCorp, said the partnership gives VIDA an opportunity to associate with a major international series while reflecting themes of movement, ambition and progress.
TCM Sports managing director Lokesh Sharma said the partnership with NZC had been built over several years and that the centenary year added significance to the 12-match series.
NZC CEO Geoff Allott said the scale of the tour, covering all three formats, underlined its importance and predicted strong interest around another competitive contest between India and New Zealand.
For VIDA, the deal puts the brand alongside a cricket tour spanning 12 matches at a time when the India-New Zealand sporting relationship is itself reaching a century. And with an electric mobility brand holding the title, the series is certainly arriving with a little extra charge.
