Sports
How brands reacted to India’s thrilling T20 semi-final victory
Brands cash in on chaos as fans, memes & celebs fuel post-match buzz after India’s 7-run thriller.
MUMBAI: The boundaries weren’t the only thing being smashed at Wankhede, the internet itself hit a social-media six (or seven, Thala style) as brands raced to capitalise on the high-octane drama of India’s 253/7 followed by England’s 246/7 thriller.
Sanju Samson’s explosive 89 off 42 balls became instant brand catnip. Star Sports fired off reels syncing his towering sixes to pounding beats, captioning one viral clip, “Samson’s Sunday became India’s Super Sunday” racking up millions of views in hours. Fantasy platform Dream11 leaned hard into the jackpot vibe with live leaderboards screaming “Samson scored 89… how many points did YOU score?” and player cards that flooded every feed.
Jasprit Bumrah’s death-over wizardry inspired sharp, quick-witted hits too. A major sports broadcaster dropped a graphic of his final-over yorkers with the cheeky line “When Bumrah bowls, even death gets nervous” pure engagement bait that exploded in shares. Hardik Pandya’s ice-cool 2/38 in the crunch overs got similar love: quick-commerce brands jumped in with punny creatives like “We deliver sixes faster than England chased, congrats India!” linked to flash discounts for “semi-final survivors”.
Axar Patel’s boundary-line stunner (fans dubbing him “Bapu the Boundary Boss”) sparked sticker storms, while Jacob Bethell’s valiant 105 off 48 earned classy, respectful nods even Indian brands posted “What a fight from Bethell!” graphics to show good sportsmanship pays off in likes.
Abhishek Sharma’s early exit? The meme tsunami of “off-spinner wali bimari” jokes kept rolling, with brands wisely steering clear but riding the wave through fan-reaction compilations. The seven-run margin triggered endless “Thala for a reason” graphics invoking MS Dhoni’s No. 7 legacy, amplified by his and Sakshi’s adorable premature-celebration clip (her jump, his grin) that melted timelines.
Brands went all-in with victory posts straight from their official handles:
India Post celebrated the qualification with a clever tie-in: “Team India secured the final You secure your family’s future with Postal Life Insurance! Howzzat for a winning partnership!! #IndvsEngland #Semifinal #TeamIndia”
- KEI Industries cheered: “Congratulations Team India for reaching the T20 World Cup Final! One step away from the trophy. #t20worldcup2026 #teamindia #semifinal #INDvsENG”
- Polycab India posted triumphantly: “That’s how it’s done! Congratulations Team India for powering through the semi-finals.” (complete with a branded graphic nodding to their “India’s Safe Happy Connection” tagline).
- Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) shared: “Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) congratulates Team India for a spectacular victory in the semi-final. Your outstanding performance, determination, and exceptional team spirit have made the entire nation proud. Wishing Team India the very best for the final.”
Budweiser India joined the celebratory chorus with a crisp line that echoed the mood of the night: “Another match. Another reason to celebrate.”
Marketing pages and aggregators like Moves Of Marketing compiled collages of these topical creatives under #MomentMarketing, while others highlighted how brands turned the thriller into instant campaigns from fantasy hype and discount drops to respectful shout-outs.
Celebrities turned up the glamour dial even higher. Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and little Raha’s wholesome cheering videos went mega-viral, with Raha’s innocent claps stealing hearts. Dhoni and Rohit Sharma spotted in the Ambani box added extra star power. Hindi movie heavyweights flooded feeds, Ajay Devgn posted “Loved every minute of this match! #TeamIndia played like absolute champs. On to the finals now.” Kareena Kapoor Khan reposted the team’s final-qualifying graphic with hearts, smiles and rainbows. Anil Kapoor shared “Proud of our boys”, Sonu Sood wrote “Mera Bharat Mahan, 1.4 Billion hearts celebrating this win… Ab bas cup ghar aane wala hai #TeamIndia”, Anupam Kher declared “Ye mera Indiaaaaaaa! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Jai Hind!”, Suniel Shetty and Raveena Tandon joined the celebration chorus, and even actor Shailesh Lodha chimed in praising Sanju Samson’s “excellent innings”.
One sharp sponsor summed it up neatly: “SEMI FINAL FINAL LOADING…” with a clean graphic celebrating the dream run.
With the final against New Zealand on March 8 in Ahmedabad looming, expect the brand parade and the memes to keep smashing records. Cricket fever? More like marketing mayhem. Pass the chai, the show’s far from over.
Sports
Sun TV sues Chennai Super Kings over use of Jailer, Coolie music in IPL promo
Network seeks Rs 1 crore in damages as Madras High Court directs CSK to confirm songs removed from jersey launch video
CHENNAI: A legal battle has erupted even before the first ball of IPL 2026 is bowled. Sun TV Network has moved the Madras High Court accusing Chennai Super Kings of copyright infringement over the alleged use of music, background scores and dialogues from the Rajinikanth films Jailer, Jailer-2 and Coolie in a promotional video for the franchise’s new jersey.
The commercial suit, filed by Sun TV Network Limited against Chennai Super Kings Cricket Limited and three of its officials, claims the IPL franchise used copyrighted audio content without obtaining a licence from the rights holder.
Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy heard preliminary submissions in the matter before adjourning the case to March 16. The court also directed CSK to file an affidavit confirming its statement that the songs in question are no longer being used in the team’s promotional material.
The suit names CSK chief executive and managing director Kasi Viswanathan, head of finance Avinash Sridharan and head of content Radhakrishnan Sreenivasan as defendants alongside the franchise company.
According to Sun TV, CSK released a promotional video on March 1 to unveil its IPL 2026 jersey across social media platforms including Instagram, X, YouTube and Facebook. The video allegedly incorporated audio tracks, background scores and dialogues from Jailer, its upcoming sequel Jailer-2 and Coolie — all Rajinikanth projects produced by Sun Pictures, the film production arm of Sun TV Network.
Jailer, released in 2023, emerged as one of the biggest Tamil box-office hits of the year. Its soundtrack by Anirudh Ravichander, particularly the viral track Hukum, became a staple across social media and stadium events. Sun TV told the court that Anirudh Ravichander had been engaged under agreements that vest all rights in the films’ music with the producer, making Sun TV the exclusive copyright holder authorised to license the music.
The network alleged that the content was used at several points in the video, including scenes depicting the arrival of CSK captain MS Dhoni at the team camp, to amplify the promotional appeal of the campaign. It argued that the video was designed to promote the team’s merchandise, including its IPL 2026 jersey sold online at around Rs 2,399, thereby generating commercial gain from copyrighted material.
Sun TV has sought a permanent injunction restraining CSK from using any songs, dialogues or background scores from its films across platforms including social media, stadium broadcasts and promotional campaigns. It has also demanded Rs 1 crore in damages and asked the court to direct the franchise to disclose revenues generated from the promotional campaign that allegedly used the copyrighted music.
Senior counsel J Ravindran, appearing for Sun TV, told the court that CSK had stopped using the songs after receiving an e-mail objecting to their use. Ravindran nevertheless urged the court to ensure that the franchise does not repeat the alleged infringement.
Senior counsel PS Raman, representing CSK, informed the court that the tracks from Jailer, Jailer-2 and Coolie had already been removed from the promotional video. Raman also assured the court that the franchise would obtain proper licences if it uses such material in the future.
With the IPL season approaching and the dispute now in court, the clash has added an unexpected off-field contest to cricket’s biggest league — one that will be fought not with bats and balls, but with copyrights and court orders.
