Brands betting on global sports to mark India’s next marketing frontier

The year 2025 finds Indian businesses operating in a hyper-connected world where a global footprint is not a luxury, but a strategic necessity. Cricket, while still the undisputed financial powerhouse of Indian sports, commanding 76% of the country's total sports sponsorship spending in 2024 and contributing $668 million in revenue, is no longer the only game in town, as per GroupM's India Sports Sponsorship Report 2024.

A shift has been observed, driven by the ambition of Indian conglomerates to achieve international brand recognition and diversify their market reach beyond the Subcontinent. According to the report, emerging sports, which held a collective 15% share of the sports industry revenue in 2024, have seen a striking 19% growth year-on-year, highlighting their rising commercial viability. The move to sponsor non-cricket foreign sports, such as European football, Formula E, and global tennis, tends to represent a calculated strategy to tap into massive, diverse international fan bases and align with a younger, aspirational audience both in India and abroad.

This evolution didn't happen overnight. Brands like Amul started small, testing the waters with a time-bound sponsorship of the Sauber F1 Team for the 2011 Indian Grand Prix before making targeted moves like becoming the regional sponsor (India) for the Argentina and Portugal National Football Teams ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Similarly, HCL Technologies entered the global football arena by serving as the Digital Transformation Partner for Manchester United from 2015 to 2018, focusing on a high-tech brand positioning rather than mass-market visibility. These initial forays established a blueprint, proving that Indian brands could successfully integrate into the marketing ecosystem of premier global sports.

Today, companies like Mahindra & Mahindra (owning the Mahindra Racing team in Formula E) and Infosys (Platinum Sponsor of the ATP Tour) are using these global platforms not just for visibility, but for deep, technological brand integration.

Their methods range from starting with regional sponsorships to keep costs manageable while accessing vast fan networks to becoming truly global players.

Here are some Indian brands that have sponsored foreign sports other than cricket:

Amul | Sauber F1 Team

Mahindra & Mahindra | FIA Formula E World Championship

Tata Communications | Formula 1

Apollo Tyres | Manchester United

BKT Tires | Spanish football league, LALIGA

Hero MotorCorp | PGA Tour Golf

Infosys | Australia Open