
IPL 2025: Why is Rajasthan Royals wearing special all-pink jersey during RR vs MI match?
The jersey is a part of the franchise's Pink Promise campaign aimed at women's empowerment in rural India. Though the campaign, which officially goes by #PinkPromise, the team will donate INR 100 from every match-ticket bought, for women-led rural transformation in Rajasthan.
Today, we go out there to fulfill our #PinkPromise. 🥹💗 pic.twitter.com/mgzwLLoaxi — Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) May 1, 2025
Moreover, all proceeds from the sale of each all-pink Royals' jerseys will go to its social equity arm - the Royal Rajasthan Foundation (RRF).
In addition, for every six hit in the match by both teams, Rajasthan Royals and the RRF will light up six homes in the Sambhar region with solar power.
This is the second season where is RR wearing this jersey, with its first match in pink jersey played against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on April 6, 2024.
'We are proud to be donning these special threads which pay a tribute to the powerful women of Rajasthan and of India. It will be a great occasion to celebrate the efforts of our Foundation and to salute the women who are making a difference on ground,' Kumar Sangakkara, Director of Cricket, Rajasthan Royals had said when the jersey was launched in March last year.

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Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Gaming bill set to hit advertising industry
With the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill , 2025 now passed by Parliament, the media and advertising ecosystem is grappling with the new reality. The bill, which received Lok Sabha approval on August 20, 2025, and Rajya Sabha approval on August 21, 2025, enacts a complete prohibition on online money games, defined as those involving any monetary stake or expectation of reward. Simultaneously, it promotes and regulates e-sports as a legitimate sporting activity, setting a clear new direction for the gaming industry. As mentioned in the proposed Bill, 'No person shall offer, promote, or engage in online money games or online money gaming services. Similarly, no person shall create, cause, or be involved in any advertisement in any media, including electronic communication, that directly or indirectly encourages participation in online money games or promotes online money gaming.' The immediate concern for the advertising market is the ban on advertisements and promotions of online money games. This category has been one of the most aggressive spenders on media over the past four years with a sharp focus on digital platforms and cricket sponsorships, particularly the Indian Premier League (IPL). According to PwC report 2024 the total size of the Indian online gaming market was INR 33,000 crore in 2023, estimated to reach INR 66,000 crore, growing at a CAGR of 14.5 percent between 2023–2028. Industry executives estimate the ban could wipe out INR 4,000 to 5,000 crore in annual ad spends. Of this, around INR 1,000 to 1,500 crore was on TV, mostly during the IPL, while digital could lose INR 3,000 to 3,500 crore. Ad spends at stake According to Vanita Keswani , CEO, Madison Media Sigma , a potential ban on real-money gaming platforms will create a short-term dent in ad revenues, as the category has been among the most aggressive spenders across TV and digital. However, the industry has historically rebalanced over time with new categories stepping in. She said, 'Digital will feel the sharper impact, given gaming's heavy reliance on app installs, influencer campaigns, and performance spends. Television too will lose out, especially during cricket properties where gaming brands had become near-dominant advertisers.' Sandeep Goyal , managing director of Rediffusion, said, 'If real-money gaming platforms are banned, it will directly affect advertising spends. The immediate impact will be on the IPL, where companies like Dream11 and My11Circle were among the main sponsors. Digital advertising will take the biggest hit, estimated at INR 4,000 to 5,000 crore, which is around 5 to 6 percent of the total ad market of INR 1 lakh crore. Television exposure was largely limited to the IPL at about INR 1,000 to 1,500 crore.' Revenue realities In FY23, Dream Sports, owner of Dream11, posted revenues of about INR 6,380 crore and allocated nearly INR 2,960 crore towards advertising and promotions, close to half of its topline. Games24x7, which operates My11Circle and RummyCircle, reported revenues of roughly INR 1,990 crore, of which INR 1,420 crore went into promotional spends, accounting for more than 70 percent of its revenue. Mobile Premier League (MPL) recorded INR 874 crore in revenue with around INR 118 crore spent on advertising, indicating a comparatively restrained approach but still reflecting the sector's heavy dependence on marketing to drive user acquisition. This shows that unlike traditional consumer sectors, real-money gaming companies consistently channel a disproportionately large share of their earnings into advertising, which explains the magnitude of disruption the proposed ban on promotional activity could cause across digital, television and sports sponsorships. A senior broadcaster, requesting anonymity, placed the overall impact closer to INR 5,000 crore and pointed out that outside sports, the spends from these companies were relatively limited, probably not exceeding INR 500 crore across any medium. He added that he does not expect other categories to step in to compensate for this shortfall, suggesting the industry will have to absorb a direct loss. Echoing the view, Keswani said that while fintech, e-commerce, OTT and D2C brands may partly fill the gap, it is unlikely to match gaming's scale immediately. Sponsorship fallout Dream11 was among the top five advertisers in India in 2024 with ad spends of INR 1,200 to 1,400 crore, according to the Madison Advertising Report 2025. It ranked fifth overall, ahead of several large FMCG and auto players. Games24x7 spent an estimated INR 350 to 500 crore on advertising in the same year. These companies were heavily backed by venture funding and invested significantly in television sponsorships, digital campaigns, influencer-led marketing, and offline activations such as metro branding. The IPL is expected to bear the brunt of the fallout. Dream11 has been an official sponsor of the league since 2019 and took the title sponsorship in 2020. It has remained one of the most visible advertisers across team jerseys, on-ground activations and television commercials. Not just IPL, it has also been an official partner of Women's Premier League (WPL) and Pro Kabaddi League ( PKL ). My11Circle entered the IPL ecosystem in 2023. In 2024, the company secured the fantasy gaming category sponsorship rights with a winning bid of INR 125 crore per year for five years, as reported in GroupM's Sporting Nation Report 2025. The deal, valued at INR 625 crore over the contract period, was one of the most significant category investments in the league's recent history. If the proposed Bill is cleared these contracts will face immediate disruption, leaving the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to seek new category sponsors. Industry trackers suggest the gap will be difficult to fill in the short term given the scale of investment by gaming platforms. Impact beyond adex Industry observers shared that beyond sponsorships, the ripple effects will be felt across advertising agencies, production houses, content creators and influencer networks. Dozens of agencies had dedicated teams servicing gaming clients, producing high-volume campaigns and executing performance-led media plans. The prohibition will bring these mandates to a halt. 'The impact is not limited to advertising. A wide ecosystem of agencies, production houses, content creators and influencers will be affected. These platforms also invested in offline branding such as OOH and activations. If there are 50 to 100 gaming players, that means dozens of agencies had teams working on them, films were being produced and media plans were being executed. With the ban, all of that comes to a halt,' said Goyal. Online platforms which hosted the bulk of these programmatic and performance-led campaigns, are also expected to see a decline in revenues from this category. Experts indicate that offline branding might also get impacted. The Bill does not restrict e-sports, which the government plans to recognise and promote under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025. However, advertising in e-sports is negligible compared to real-money gaming platforms, meaning the proposed ban is set to leave a significant gap in the media and sports sponsorship ecosystem.


NDTV
4 hours ago
- NDTV
Ex-India Star Joins R Ashwin, Gives 'Big' Take On Shreyas Iyer's Asia Cup Snub
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News18
5 hours ago
- News18
Ex-India Star Accuses Agarkar-Gambhir Of Bias Against Shreyas Iyer: 'Not Even...'
Last Updated: Subramaniam Badrinath alleges Ajit Agarkar's selection committee snubbed Shreyas Iyer for the 2025 Asia Cup due to a 'likeability factor'. Former Indian cricketer Subramaniam Badrinath has alleged that there was a 'likeability factor' in the Ajit Agarkar-led selection committee's decision to exclude Shreyas Iyer from the 2025 Asia Cup squad. Badrinath said Agarkar's calling Shreyas 'unlucky' was taking a 'convenient route' to explain the big change. Shreyas took Punjab Kings to the final of IPL 2025 earlier this year, while also scoring 604 runs with a 175-plus strike rate. However, Agarkar said, they couldn't find anyone in the first 15 to make way for the Mumbaikar, and it was neither the selector's fault nor the batter's. 'He definitely deserved to get selected. Ajit Agarkar said he was unlucky but that's just a convenient route. Iyer has produced excellent numbers over the last two years and done brilliantly as a captain as well. Instead, they picked Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh for the No. 5 position. In the last one year, both have done virtually nothing, with poor numbers," Badrinath said in a video on his YouTube channel. 'This is not even a 50-50 decision. Shreyas Iyer should have definitely got a look-in. One can say he has batted at No. 3 for his IPL side. But he can easily play at No. 5 for India being an excellent player of spin and a great finisher," he said. 'Especially now, without Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, his (Shreyas) experience and leadership is much needed in the team. More than unlucky, this feels like a likeability factor playing a role in selection," he added. Badrinath is not the first to suggest some ulterior motive behind Shreyas's snub. Former India assistant coach and part of the backroom staff when Shreyas led Kolkata Knight Riders to the IPL 2024 title, Abhishek Nayar, also said that it seemed to him that the batter wasn't as liked as others in the squad. Neither has indicated who the favored one is that took Shreyas' place. The only other major change in the team from the last time it played was Shubman Gill coming in as a third opener (instead of Yashasvi Jaiswal) and being appointed the vice-captain. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...