5 Most Memorable Cricket Brand Campaigns in India

Explore 5 of the most memorable cricket brand campaigns in India, featuring MS Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and other cricket stars. Discover the creative ideas, memorable moments and marketing lessons behind iconic brand campaigns!

Cricket and advertising have always shared a special relationship in India. For millions of fans, cricket is not just a sport. It is part of everyday conversations, celebrations, rivalries and even pop culture.

This is exactly why brands have repeatedly turned to cricketers to create memorable advertising campaigns. A famous player can bring attention to an advertisement, but the campaigns that truly stay with audiences usually have something more: a catchy line, a strong idea, humour or a moment that fans can instantly relate to.

Over the years, we have seen some brilliant cricket brand campaigns in India featuring legends and stars such as Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni and Rahul Dravid, along with international cricket personalities.

From a simple bat logo to an unforgettable fictional backstory for the Helicopter Shot, these campaigns show how cricket can become much more than a backdrop for advertising.

Here are five of the most memorable cricket brand campaigns in India and what made them stand out. 

1. Pepsi x MS Dhoni – “Kas Ke Pakad, Jam Ke Jakad, Lagaa”

MS Dhoni has been one of the most recognisable faces in Indian cricket advertising, and his association with Pepsi produced several memorable campaigns.

One of the most popular was the “Kas Ke Pakad, Jam Ke Jakad, Lagaa” campaign, built around Dhoni's energetic personality and Pepsi's youthful advertising style.

The campaign used a simple and catchy phrase that was easy to remember. More importantly, it captured the kind of confidence and attitude that fans associated with Dhoni on the cricket field.

This is what made the campaign work. It did not try to explain too much. Instead, it used a memorable celebrity, a short catchphrase and an entertaining situation to make the advertisement stick.

Dhoni was also a natural fit for Pepsi's communication style at the time. He was young, hugely popular and known for his calm but confident approach to cricket.

What brands can learn from this campaign?

Keep the message simple. A campaign does not always need a complicated idea. A short phrase that people can repeat can become much more powerful when paired with the right celebrity.

It also shows the importance of allowing a celebrity's personality to come through instead of making the advertisement feel overly scripted.

2. CRED x Rahul Dravid – “Indira Nagar Ka Gunda”

Few cricket advertisements have created the kind of online reaction that CRED's Rahul Dravid campaign did.

The advertisement showed the usually calm and composed Rahul Dravid losing his temper in traffic. The contrast was the entire point.

For years, fans had known Dravid as one of cricket's most disciplined and dependable personalities. Seeing him shouting from a car window and behaving completely differently from his usual public image made the campaign instantly funny.

The now-famous line “Indira Nagar ka gunda” quickly became a social media talking point.

What made this campaign particularly smart was that CRED understood its celebrity.

Instead of simply showing Rahul Dravid endorsing a financial product, the brand built the entire creative idea around something audiences already believed about him.

Then it flipped that image on its head.

The surprise created humour, while the celebrity recognition made people want to watch and share the advertisement.

What brands can learn from this campaign?

Use what audiences already know about a celebrity.

If a celebrity has a well-established public image, brands can create interesting campaigns by either reinforcing that image or playing against it.

CRED chose the second route, and the contrast became the heart of the advertisement.

It also shows that humour can make a serious category such as financial services feel much more approachable.

3. MRF x Sachin Tendulkar – The Bat Logo

The relationship between Sachin Tendulkar and MRF is one of the most iconic examples of cricket and branding coming together in India.

Rather than simply putting Sachin in a traditional advertisement, MRF created a powerful visual association between the brand and one of the greatest batsmen in cricket.

The MRF logo on Sachin's bat became instantly recognisable to cricket fans.

Think about how powerful that is from a branding perspective.

Every time Sachin walked out to bat, millions of viewers could see the MRF branding on his bat. The association was repeated naturally during matches, rather than being limited to a television commercial.

The partnership became so closely linked with Sachin's cricketing identity that the MRF-branded bat became a familiar part of the cricket landscape.

This is a great example of sports sponsorship and celebrity branding working together.

The brand did not need to constantly explain itself. The visual placement itself created repeated exposure.

What brands can learn from this campaign?

Strong branding does not always require a loud advertisement.

Sometimes, placing your brand in the right context can be incredibly powerful.

MRF connected its logo with Sachin's batting, one of the most watched activities in Indian sport. The repeated visual association helped make the branding memorable.

It also demonstrates why long-term celebrity partnerships can be valuable. When an association continues for years, the celebrity and brand can become closely connected in the audience's mind.

4. Kingfisher – “Divided by Teams, United by Kingfisher”

Indian cricket fans are famously passionate about their teams.

During major cricket tournaments, friendships can suddenly turn into friendly rivalries. One person supports India, another supports a different team, and everyone has an opinion.

Kingfisher's “Divided by Teams, United by Kingfisher” campaign played directly into this cricket culture.

Instead of focusing on one particular team or player, the campaign focused on something broader: the shared love of cricket.

That was a smart move because it allowed the brand to speak to fans regardless of which team they supported.

The idea was simple. Cricket may divide fans into different camps, but the experience of watching and enjoying the game can bring people together.

That is a powerful idea for a brand campaign because it connects the product with a real social experience.

People do not always watch cricket alone. They watch it with friends, family and colleagues. They celebrate together, argue about decisions, discuss players and react to every boundary and wicket.

Kingfisher used that culture as the centre of its communication.

What brands can learn from this campaign?

Tap into the emotion surrounding a sport instead of simply using the sport as decoration.

A brand does not always need to feature the biggest player or team. Sometimes, understanding what the audience feels about the sport can create a much stronger campaign.

Kingfisher positioned itself around the shared experience of cricket, giving the campaign a wider emotional appeal.

5. Pepsi – “Change the Game”

Pepsi's “Change the Game” campaign took a different approach to cricket advertising.

Instead of celebrating traditional, textbook cricket, the campaign focused on the bold and unconventional style of modern players.

The campaign featured major international cricket stars including MS Dhoni, Lasith Malinga, Kevin Pietersen and Tillakaratne Dilshan, along with Indian players such as Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh.

The central idea was simple: cricket was changing, and these players were changing the way the game was played.

But Pepsi did not communicate this idea through a standard sports advertisement.

Instead, the campaign created humorous fictional origin stories for some of cricket's most recognisable signature moves.

MS Dhoni's famous Helicopter Shot was given a playful backstory involving a young fan teaching him with a hay cutter on a farm.

Lasith Malinga's distinctive sling action was humorously linked to throwing fruit at monkeys in a marketplace.

Kevin Pietersen's Switch Hit, also referred to as the “Palti Hit”, was presented as a rebellious response to old-school thinking.

Tillakaratne Dilshan's famous Dilscoop received an equally playful explanation involving the pallu of a saree.

The campaign also brought in Virender Sehwag and Harbhajan Singh, with Harbhajan's Doosra becoming another part of the celebration of unconventional cricket.

What made the campaign memorable was the combination of cricket, humour and personality.

Fans already knew these signature moves. Pepsi simply gave them entertaining stories that made those moves even more fun to talk about.

What brands can learn from this campaign?

Give audiences a new way to look at something they already know.

The campaign did not need to introduce these cricket stars to the audience. Everyone already knew them.

Instead, it took familiar cricket moments and gave them humorous fictional stories.

This is a useful lesson for marketers: sometimes the strongest creative idea comes from taking something familiar and presenting it from a completely unexpected angle.

Quick Comparison of the 5 Cricket Brand Campaigns 

What Makes Cricket Brand Campaigns Memorable?

Looking at these five campaigns, a few common patterns stand out.

A Strong Celebrity-Brand Fit

The celebrity should make sense for the brand. Dhoni's energetic personality suited Pepsi's youthful communication, while Sachin's association with MRF became part of the visual experience of cricket itself.

A Simple Idea

The most memorable campaigns often have an idea that can be explained in one sentence.

“Divided by teams, united by Kingfisher.”

“Indira Nagar ka gunda.”

“Change the Game.”

Simple ideas are easier for audiences to understand and remember.

A Moment People Can Talk About

The best campaigns give audiences something to discuss.

Rahul Dravid's unexpected outburst became a talking point. Pepsi's fictional stories behind famous cricket shots gave fans something entertaining to share.

Understanding Cricket Culture

Cricket is more than players and statistics in India. It is rivalry, friendship, emotion, celebration and entertainment.

Brands that understand this can create campaigns that feel connected to real fan behaviour.

Conclusion

Cricket has given Indian advertising some of its most recognisable celebrity campaigns. From Sachin Tendulkar's MRF bat logo and MS Dhoni's Pepsi campaigns to Rahul Dravid's “Indira Nagar ka gunda” moment, these examples show how the right combination of celebrity, creativity and cultural insight can turn an advertisement into something people remember.

The biggest lesson for brands is that celebrity marketing is not simply about putting a famous face in front of a camera. It is about finding the right personality and creating an idea that gives audiences a reason to pay attention.

If your business is planning a celebrity-led campaign, Tring can help you find the right fit. From Bollywood celebrities and sports personalities to influencers and other popular faces, Tring is the go-to platform for businesses and brands looking to book celebrities and influencers for promotion and create campaigns that connect with their audience.