Brands
HUL’s Axe takes a ticket to the IPL
MUMBAI: Sachet pricing. That’s a tack that’s worked like wildfire amongst India’s masses who lie at the lower end of the customer pyramid. Shampoos, soft drinks, detergents – almost every category and brand has tried it – with much success. They have scaled their offerings to mini sizes to make products affordable and usable by those in the hinterlands and those short on money.
India’s savviest marketing company, the giant HUL, has been using the IPL to promote Axe Ticket, a miniaturisation of the famed Axe perfume which it launched in February 2018.
The 2018 version came in a 17 ml size and was priced at Rs 65. A concentrated perfume, it could be used for 250 sprays, but required three or four pumps to give the wearer odour protection and make them attractive to the opposite sex. The Axe mini-ticket followed in late 2019 in a 10 ml size priced at Rs 35, but promotion was suspended on account of the Covid2019 pandemic.
For the past two months, the mini-version has been back, but with the sobriquet Axe Ticket. A humorous campaign which is airing during the IPL telecast shows folks in an ATM queue all masked up and keeping socially distanced from each other. One of them brings out his Axe ticket and sprays himself. Presto, the perfume gets to a pretty young thing who is immediately drawn towards him and turns around and parks herself in a demarcated space just before him. Pop comes the message: “Smell ready. Axe Ticket at Rs 35 only. “
The TVC ends with an older bald man, bringing out his Axe Ticket, hinting that he will spray himself with it, in the hope of luring the lady behind him in the queue.
Why does HUL need to promote a smaller pack under the Ticket brand and at a lower price? The reasons are obvious: the pandemic has resulted in incomes getting clipped, jobs being lost, and the mood getting pretty sombre amongst the target audience for the perfume: the young Indians.
Hence, HUL is attempting to induce purchases of an item considered a luxury by most – at a time of cash paucity. At Rs 35 for 10 ml, it comes within the reach of many who buy adulterated duplicate perfumes from the roadside at prices double that. And with the promise of longer lasting fragrances such as wood and chocolate, Axe Ticket thus looks attractive.
Brands
RPSG’s Sudhir Langer exits days before IPL 2026
Timing sharpens focus on stake sale buzz and LSG’s tightening financial playbook
MUMBAI: RPSG ( RP-Sanjiv Goenka) Ventures has sprung a late leadership surprise just as the IPL drumroll begins. Sudhir Langer will step down as whole-time director and from the board effective March 31, days after the 2026 Indian Premier League season kicks off on March 28.
The timing is hard to ignore. RPSG Ventures owns Lucknow Super Giants, and Langer’s exit lands in a narrow pre-tournament window when operational focus is typically at its peak.
The move also coincides with chatter around a potential stake sale. According to a Moneycontrol report, the RPSG Group, led by Sanjiv Goenka, is exploring options to offload up to a 15 per cent stake in the franchise. There has been no official confirmation.
RPSG had acquired the Lucknow franchise in November 2021 for Rs 7,090 crore, among the highest bids in IPL history. The team operates under RPSG Sports Private Limited and carries a sizeable annual franchise fee obligation of Rs 709 crore through FY31.
Financials underline both scale and strain. The franchise remains heavily reliant on central revenue distribution from the Board of Control for Cricket in India. In H1 FY26, it received Rs 399 crore as its share of franchise rights, compared with Rs 458 crore in FY25, the single largest contributor to income.
Total revenue for H1 FY26 stood at Rs 495.9 crore, with profit at Rs 63.7 crore. Yet FY25 saw a softer showing: revenue fell about 20 per cent to Rs 557 crore, weighed down by fewer matches and a lower league finish in the 2024 season. Growth has since been modest, with H1 FY26 revenue rising roughly 3 per cent year on year.
That leaves LSG balancing on a familiar IPL tightrope: strong central inflows, volatile on-field-linked earnings and a hefty fixed fee burden.
With a leadership exit, stake-sale speculation and a new season about to begin, Goenka’s cricket bet is entering a decisive phase—where timing, performance and capital strategy will all have to click.
