Sports
Delhi Daredevils signs Idea as sponsor for Champion’s League; renews Coca Cola deal
MUMBAI: With the Airtel Champions League Twenty20 kicking off next week, the GMR-owned IPL franchisee Delhi Daredevils has roped in Idea as yet another sponsor.
Information available with Indiantelevision.com indicates that the deal is not just for Champions League, but also for the the third season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). It is pertinent to note here that Idea is also a team sponsor of the Mumbai Indians IPL franchise.
Meanwhile, Coca Cola that was with Delhi Daredevils in the second season of the IPL tourney, has extended its partnership with the franchisee for three more years.
As part of its partnership with the Daredevils, Idea will exhibit its logo on the back of the team shirt. It is estimated that the telecom company will spend a little more than Rs 80 million on the deal.
Coca Cola‘s logo, meanwhile, will be seen on the team‘s headgear.
A GMR official says that all sponsorship deals barring Coca Cola‘s will come up for renewal next year after the third season of the IPL gets over. “Coca Cola, though, did not want to wait and was keen to re-sign as we have delivered good value. The other sponsors including Hero Honda, Adidas, Wrigleys, Religare are very much with us and are also keen to re-sign. However, we want to wait for the third season to get over before doing any more deals,” he adds.
Of course, since the IPL is coming back to India next year, sponsors will get more bang for their buck. The money spent depends on the position of the brand on a player‘s attire among other things.
Says an industry expert, “Wrigleys will spend around Rs 4 million while Hero Honda as the team sponsor will spend Rs 150 million a year.”
Sports
After Virat Kohli’s exit, One8 Commune Bengaluru shuts down
Outlet near Chinnaswamy closes amid rent row, compliance issues mount
BENGALURU: The One8 Commune outlet near M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has shut down following a court order, bringing a turbulent chapter for the high-profile dining destination to a close.
The immediate trigger was a legal dispute over unpaid dues. The outlet, operated by Trio Hills Hospitality, had reportedly defaulted on rent payments for nearly six months. Including maintenance charges and revenue share commitments, the outstanding amount is said to have crossed Rs 2 crore. A Bengaluru civil court subsequently directed the closure of the premises until all financial obligations are cleared.
The shutdown comes months after Virat Kohli, whose brand name lent the outlet its identity, had already distanced himself from the Bengaluru franchise. According to reports, concerns around repeated compliance-related issues prompted his team to withdraw the association. The removal of the One8 branding is believed to have impacted footfall, further straining the business.
The outlet had also faced regulatory scrutiny over the years. In 2024, authorities booked the establishment for operating beyond the 1:00 am curfew. The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike had issued notices over missing fire safety clearances, while an FIR was filed for violating tobacco regulations by not providing a designated smoking zone under applicable laws.
In response to the closure, the brand maintained that the issue stemmed from building-level compliance responsibilities linked to the property owner rather than operational lapses on its part. It also denied that financial default was the primary reason, reiterating that customer safety remained a priority.
For now, the shutters remain down. While a reopening is theoretically possible if disputes are resolved, the absence of Kohli’s brand association makes a return under the One8 banner increasingly unlikely.
