The Pulse Sports Marketing Edition 2026 is out now!

Sport is never confined to what happens on the field. It plays out across mobile screens during commutes, CTV in shared family spaces, and social feeds filled with memes, edits, and commentary. It lives in stadiums, in training grounds at dawn, in marathon routes that begin before sunrise, and in fandom threads that run long after the final ball, whistle or buzzer. This is where brands have the opportunity to make their mark through thoughtful structure, intention, and cultural integration. 

The Pulse Sports Marketing Edition 2026 is a special issue spotlighting the trends, innovations, partnerships, and fan-first strategies driving sports marketing in India. 

The edition makes a compelling case for why brands must look beyond buying space and buy into culture. Success now lies in becoming part of the daily lives of fans and players, a space Bisleri has long owned by building one of the most expansive and consistent sports marketing portfolios in India and beyond.

In our Cover Story, we zero in on sports marketing, the Bisleri way, with Tushar Malhotra, Director – Sales & Marketing, Bisleri International, who reflects on the changing contours of sports marketing in India, how brands can best support the ecosystem, and why owning hydration across sports is the end goal for the brand.

Inside the edition

• Supercharging WPL: JioStar’s Anup Govindan shares a glimpse into the commercial acceleration for WPL after the glorious ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup victory. 
• Best brands forward: Brand leaders on sports, brand ambition, and what it takes to put a brand’s best forward ft. De Beers India’s Toranj Mehta, BKT Tyres’ Mahesh Koppad, Visa India’s Gaurav Ramdev, Himalaya Wellness Company’s Ragini Hariharan and Tech Mahindra Global Chess League’s Gourav Rakshit.
• The always-on strategy: A closer look at how IPL and WPL teams sustain relevance beyond tournaments and build continuity across the sporting calendar ft. perspectives from Mumbai Indians, Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.
• The morning economy: Decodes how marathons have become cultural touch points that give brands meaningful access to health-conscious, early-morning consumers ft. ASICS India, Procam International and FAST&UP. 
• Don’t slice the moment: Examines the role of personalisation in media planning for IPL ft. perspectives from Sudish Balan, Lloyd Mathias and N. Chandramouli.
• Game on: Decodes India’s sports fans for brands ft. insights from Google India
• Play now: Decodes YouTube for sports-focussed brands ft. insights from Google India
  

Featured voices

• Niche no more: JSW Sports’ Vaibhavi Deshmukh examines if women's sports are still a ‘passion project’ for marketers.
• IPL planning done right: The Media Ant’s Abhishek Mukherjee on how brands can plan across TV, CTV, Mobile and Social without overcomplicating it.
• Made for CTV: Frodoh’s Russhabh R Thakkar on why CTV is becoming the default screen for IPL viewing.
• The participation era: Snap Inc.’s Neha Jolly Sawhney breaks down fan-first tech for brands looking to win with sports advertising.
• GenZfication of fandoms: WRM’s Swejal Vilas Gangan decodes the GenZ sports fandom for brands.
• When creators lead: Xley Ai’ Gautam Madhavan examines the creator economy’s role in fuelling sports storytelling.
• Beyond the mat: SJ Uplift Kabaddi’s Sambhav Jain on what will drive kabaddi’s next phase of growth in India.

Brands are no longer buying visibility with sports marketing.

They are investing in cultural participation. They are competing for significance. They are entering hyperlocal fandoms, aligning with athletes whose influence extends beyond match day, and collaborating with creators for storytelling. 

Sport today is truly less a media buy and more a multi-year contract with the community. And the future will not belong to the loudest brand in the stadium, but to the one that understands the game beyond the scoreboard.

Read The Pulse Sports Marketing Edition to explore the strategies, partnerships and fan-first thinking powering brands in sports today.

Download The Pulse Sports Marketing Edition 2026