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PlayUP Gaming ropes in Rohit Sharma and Jiah Khan as brand ambassadors in India
NEW DELHI: PlayUp, a leader in live and interactive social mobile gaming, has tapped Rohit Sharma and Jiah Khan as brand ambassadors in India as it has lined up aggressive plans to capture the live gaming segment in India with the launch of PowerUP, Next Wicket and 6UP along with new redemption engine PSX (Players Exchange).
PlayUp products will be live over the ICC World Cup 2011 to be held in the sub-continent and are set to take the cricket excitement in India to the next level.
The new products were unveiled by Australian cricketer Steve Waugh, Rajat Kulshrestha of PlayUp India, Jiah Khan and Mandira Bedi.
The product offerings are available across a wide spectrum of platforms including SMS, WAP, internet, Apps and Interactive Voice Response. PlayUp’s mobile based social gaming and interactive model provides a framework that lets fans engage impulsively and instantly with the live sport they’re watching and compete in real time with millions of others.
While Next Wicket is a knockout game where picking correctly the next batsmen to be dismissed keeps you in the game, with PowerUP cricket fans can predict the runs to be scored in a power play session (PP) specific to each innings of a match. Besides this, the company is also launching Players Exchange (PSX), which is a redemption engine for PlayUp games. PSX is where you can redeem your points for exciting prizes like match jerseys, player memorabilia and Money Can’t Buy Experiences.
By creating social and community networking, interactive, skill and knowledge based gaming experience that are quick, fun, easy to participate in and cost no more than a regular text message, PlayUp adds a new and thrilling interactive dimension to watching live sports.
With Jiah Khan and Rohit Sharma as the Indian brand ambassadors, PlayUp will be launching an extensive cross-product media campaign with the key message of “Bolna Band aur Khelna Shuru”.
PlayUp India CEO Rajat Kulshrestha said, “Considering the widespread passion for cricket in India after One day Cricket and Twenty20 matches, PlayUp’s LIVE gaming products have changed the way people watch television and in particular how they engage with and enjoy live sports. And now with an aim to revolutionize the way fans watch cricket, all our games will be made available across all leading telecom operators of the country.”
He added: ‘We are focusing on 360 degree communication campaign along with aggressive marketing strategy to popularize this new segment of Live gaming in masses. Rohit’s cricketing achievements and Jiah’s connect with social networking, sports and entertainment will help us create a mass appeal for our products. We are very positive about the prospects of our games that will provide a rich fan experience to the LIVE sport with a packed cricket calendar. We are confident that our games will provide an opportunity for the sport to give value back to the fans.”
Speaking at the occasion, Waugh said “I appreciate PlayUp’s initiative towards bringing the whole cricket lover community together on one single platform where they can boast of their deep knowledge of the sport and can build a strong network through this social gaming platform. I am sure this will also bring about a revolution in the Indian gaming sphere and today’s youth will welcome this innovative concept with all zest and zeal. India has the largest cricket loving population in the world and the popularity of this game is because of the passion, knowledge and skills that fans holds here. I am confident that PlayUp is going to add excitement for the spectator watching the game. It’s interactive, it’s fun and it’s about playing against someone else and testing your skill.”
Company Co-founder George Tomeski in a statement issued from Melbourne said, “India is a key market for us and we believe that by combining mobile entertainment with cricket broadcast of live matches, we can usher in a new trend in interactive social gaming in the country. Indian has been an enriching experience so far and we remain upbeat going forward.”
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
