Category: Cricket

The month-long, 16-team International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup–held this year in Australia–wrapped up Sunday (11/13), as England defeated Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground to claim its second tournament title.

The competition garnered a total of 96 deals, 41 of which were brand partnerships–including England’s with cinch, the UK’s fastest-growing used car online marketplace, which saw the company’s logo emblazoned on the team’s jersey. Financial, Government, and Beverage–Non-Alcoholic took the top 3 spots on the category list. 

Nissan had the most assets of all the tournament sponsors, with 21. The Japanese carmaker’s Magnite SUV was the official car of the event, while other activations included a display of all-new models including the Qashqai and X-Trail. The Nissan brand also appeared on the three stumps behind the batter, giving the brand unrivaled visibility throughout the game. Nissan also “drove” the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 Trophy Tour, a huge activation that circled the globe with visits to 35 locations in 13 countries across four continents. 

Saudi Arabian oil giant, Aramco Services, took the second spot with 18 assets. The company provided bottle collection machines for recycling inside the Melbourne Cricket Ground while also activating their brand on the three stumps. English superstar Sam Curran earned the “Player of the Match” award, also sponsored by Aramco.

Global cryptocurrency exchange FTX landed in third place with 17 sponsorship assets throughout the championship. Its partnership as the official cryptocurrency exchange partner of the ICC came to a screeching halt just prior to the final match, as FTX branding was removed from one of the most-watched sporting events of the year amid the company’s headline-making collapse.

The Hundred Final takes place September 3rd at the ‘Home of Cricket’ Lords in London. Marking the culmination of the second season of The Hundred– a brand new tournament which lasts 100 balls per innings. The month-long franchise tournament involves eight men’s and women’s teams in major cities across England and Wales. 

The tournament aims to cultivate new cricket fans with faster-paced gameplay; each team bowls 100 balls instead of the 120 standard in T20 cricket per innings, limiting match length to 2.5 hours. The strategy seems to be working so far: at last year’s inaugural tournament, 55% of ticket buyers were new to the sport. 

British online car retailer Cazoo is the 2022 tournament’s presenting partner, having inked a multi-year deal prior to the 2021 debut season. Iconic British snack maker KP Snacks’ role as team sponsor means all teams’ primary jersey patches belong to its stable of brands, including KP, Skips, Pombear, Popchips, McCoys, Butterkist, Tyrrells, and Hula Hoops.  

Meanwhile, children’s smartwatch maker Xplora and Universal Pictures’ popular Minions franchise have teamed up to target younger audiences at The Hundred, partnering at the season’s start to create a tournament explainer (here) and tout The Hundred as a family fun environment for all ages. During the competition, the Minions engage with fans at 8 of the tournament venues.

The Hundred was the first U.K. professional league to utilize a draft; from 2023, workplace technology company Sage will be the draft’s presenting partner, highlighting the importance of using in-depth analysis to drive effective player selection. It’s also the only U.K. sports league to focus on double-header games: with women’s matches take place on the same day and venue as men’s games to help increase awareness and the fan base of women’s cricket.

This year’s eliminator (second- versus third-place teams) is on September 2nd featuring the Originals v Spirit (men’s) and the Brave v Rockets (women’s). The winner will battle the tournament’s first-place team, the Rockets (men’s) and Invincibles (women’s)–which automatically qualifies for the final–on September 3rd.