iWorld
RCB posts the coolest job ever on Naukri
Mumbai: In one of the most unique marketing ideas this T20 season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has teamed up with Naukri to recruit their ultimate “Fan-in-Chief” through a quirky and hilarious selection process that gets hosted as a fun seven-episode Instagram video series, to the delight of millions of die-hard fans. The activity kicked off with RCB posting the fan-in-chief “Job” on Naukri, that’s home to millions of young professionals who of-course love the T20 league.
The first phase saw 100,000 plus fans apply for the job and now the video series promises to chronicle the auditions & selection criteria tasks in a comical manner, and ultimately revealing the chosen fan in chief. The idea was creatively constructed by Burman Sports and Naukri. It was brought to fruition via RCB’s expansive reach and distribution of their digital assets, players and scripted, directed and conceptualized by Danish Sait.
“Doing content with or for RCB is always a pleasure for me because A) I am a fan B) the franchise has such immense faith in the creative process that it lets one be free. Naukri as well has had such an open minded approach to the whole journey that my team and I truly enjoyed penning this one down” Danish Sait
The job description is anything but conventional, emphasizing skills such as crafting quirky chants that rhyme with player names (yes, even Mahipal Lomror!), and possessing adequate forearm strength to shake Virat’s protein shake. With humor as the cornerstone, the campaign aims to engage fans at every turn.
As the campaign goes live, Naukri EVP & head of marketing Shail Gaurav said “We wanted to tap into the T20 craze in a fun way but with an idea that could uniquely, unmistakably, only be from Naukri. Finding the sweet spot between our core proposition “Jobs” and T20 with a partner like RCB is what makes this so special & resonant with the younger audience base”
RCB’s diehards went buck wild, more than 100k job applies and hundreds of fan reels bombarding @naukridotcom displaying their undying passion and loyalty towards their favourite team.
“We are delighted to partner with Naukri for this innovative campaign. This collaboration offers fans an exciting opportunity to engage with RCB and we are looking forward to a successful association together.” commented Royal Challengers Bengaluru VP and head Rajesh Menon.
It’s a first-of-its-kind product & content integration facilitated by Burman Sports.
“Rather than offering Naukri a conventional sponsorship deal, we presented an innovative concept aimed at resonating with fans while upholding Naukri’s value proposition. Kudos to the team at Naukri for playing bold.” said Burman Sports founder Shiv Burman.
Do not miss any moment of this whacky chase for the ultimate Royal Challengers Bangalore “Fan-in-Chief”! Stay tuned to @naukridotcom and @royalchallengers.bengaluru for a wild ride!
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Gaming
MTG gaming chief Benninghoff joins NODWIN board as esports firm primes for IPO
The Gurugram-based esports firm is pursuing a public listing, has returned to profitability and is growing revenues by 42 per cent
GURUGRAM: NODWIN Gaming is moving fast. The Gurugram-based gaming and esports company has launched a pre-IPO fundraising round, appointed UBS as lead adviser for both the round and a subsequent public listing, and landed a heavyweight board director, all in one go.
The new board member is Arnd Benninghoff, executive vice president of gaming at Stockholm-listed Modern Times Group (MTG), who has overseen the group’s strategic investments and portfolio growth since 2014. He is no stranger to building things: Benninghoff has founded and built fifteen companies, served as chief digital officer at ProSiebenSat.1 Media AG, managing director of SevenVentures, and chief executive of Holtzbrinck eLAB. He began his career as a journalist at Deutsche Presse Agentur and various TV networks, holds a Diplom-Kaufmann in business and administration from the University of Münster, and previously sat on the board of Edgeware AB.
The numbers back the ambition
NODWIN is not pitching a story without substance. The company has returned to EBITDA profitability and posted a 42 per cent year-on-year revenue surge, reaching $58.5m in the first nine months of FY2026. The pre-IPO round will combine a primary issuance to fund global expansion through organic growth and acquisitions, alongside a secondary sale to give existing shareholders some liquidity.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder and managing director of NODWIN Gaming, said Benninghoff understands “the entire lifecycle of the gaming and media ecosystem, from the boots-on-the-ground reality of building startups to the strategic complexity of managing multi-billion dollar global portfolios.”
Benninghoff, for his part, said the company “sits at the intersection of sports, entertainment, and technology, making it one of the most exciting players in the global gaming landscape today.”
A portfolio built for the global south
Founded in 2014 by Rathee and Gautam Virk, NODWIN has quietly assembled one of the more compelling esports portfolios outside the Western hemisphere. Its properties include DreamHack India and Comic Con India, and it recently acquired StarLadder, the Ukraine-based tournament organiser behind premier events in CS:GO and Dota 2. The company also serves as a long-term strategic marketing partner for the Evolution Championship Series (EVO), the world’s most prominent fighting game tournament, helping push it into new geographies.
Its geographic focus spans South Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Backers include Nazara Technologies, KRAFTON, Sony Group Corporation, JetSynthesys, and the founders’ investment vehicle Good Game Investments.
What comes next
With UBS running the books, a board freshly reinforced with European media and gaming expertise, and revenue heading in the right direction, NODWIN is laying the groundwork deliberately. The esports industry has burned investors before with big promises and thin margins. NODWIN’s return to profitability, combined with a real portfolio of owned intellectual properties across gaming, music and youth culture, gives it a more credible runway than most. The IPO clock is now ticking.
