Brands
Utkarsh Bank partners Mumbai Indians for T20 League 2026
Banking brand eyes wider reach through cricket’s biggest stage
MUMBAI: Utkarsh Small Finance Bank Limited is stepping onto cricket’s grand stage, announcing a partnership with Mumbai Indians as its official banking partner for the T20 League 2026 season.
The tie-up marks a strategic play by the bank to widen its national footprint, tapping into cricket’s unmatched fan base to build stronger connections with customers across India.
Senior leadership from both sides attended the announcement, including Govind Singh, managing director and chief executive officer, alongside Sarjukumar Pravin Simaria, chief financial officer, and Sourabh Ghosh, head consumer banking at the bank.
For Govind Singh, the partnership goes beyond visibility. He noted that aligning with a franchise known for performance and fan engagement reflects the bank’s ambition to strengthen relationships with customers while amplifying its presence on one of India’s most celebrated platforms.
The Mumbai Indians camp echoed similar enthusiasm, highlighting shared values around performance, customer focus and inclusivity. The franchise said it looks forward to building a meaningful and engaging partnership with the bank.
As part of the association, Utkarsh Small Finance Bank plans to roll out integrated marketing initiatives and on-ground activations throughout the season, using the tournament’s energy to connect with a wider and more diverse audience.
In a country where cricket often doubles up as a cultural glue, the partnership is a reminder that for brands, the boundary rope is just the beginning.
Brands
MS Dhoni joins Cars24’s Crashfree India as Goodwill Ambassador
Cricketing legend lends his voice to the fight against road fatalities in India.
MUMBAI: MS Dhoni has traded his cricket whites for a new kind of captaincy, one that aims to save lives on India’s roads. The former India captain has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador for Crashfree India, Cars24’s national road safety initiative. The move brings one of the country’s most trusted and disciplined public figures to a cause that desperately needs both credibility and urgency.
India continues to record the highest number of traffic fatalities globally. In 2024 alone, 1,80,000 people lost their lives on Indian roads, one every three minutes. The country has roughly 1% of the world’s vehicles but accounts for 11 per cent of global road deaths. Shockingly, 66 per cent of those killed were between 18 and 34 years old, the most productive age group, and nearly 10,000 were school students. Seven in ten fatalities were linked to overspeeding.
Dhoni, known for his calm judgment under pressure, did not mince words when speaking about the issue. “A vehicle gives you freedom, but it also gives you responsibility,” he said. “On our roads, too many people still see safety as a rule to follow only when someone is watching. That mindset has cost us far too much.”
He added: “We already know what is going wrong. We know how many lives are being lost. What we need now is not more excuses. We need more responsibility, more discipline, and more respect for life.”
For Cars24, the association goes beyond a celebrity endorsement. Founder and CEO Vikram Chopra described Dhoni’s involvement as a game-changer: “His understanding of Indian roads is grounded in lived experience. He holds us to a higher standard and his involvement challenges us to push this mission further.”
Crashfree India aims to shift the national conversation on road safety from reaction to prevention, from accepting deaths as routine to treating them as the urgent failure they are. With Dhoni on board, the initiative gains a powerful, trusted voice that transcends statistics and connects directly with millions of Indians.
In a country where dangerous driving is too often mistaken for confidence, Dhoni’s message is refreshingly clear: true strength lies in control, discipline, and respect for life. When one of India’s most respected captains decides to lead this fight, the conversation suddenly becomes much harder to ignore.
The roads just got a new captain. And this time, the goal is not to win a trophy but to save lives.
