IPL 2021: MPL becomes KKR's title sponsor, aims to reach 10 crore users by end of league

Sai Srinivas Kiran G and Shubham Malhotra, founders of MPL

Ahead of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), online gaming and e-sports platform Mobile Premier League (MPL) has signed a three-year title sponsorship deal with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) which is owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan.

MPL first associated with KKR last year when the company became the franchise's principal sponsor. In fact, the online gaming firm had also bagged the principal sponsorship right for Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Sai Srinivas, Co-founder and CEO, MPL, pointed out that last year when they had associated with KKR they received good visibility. The company did digital player meets which were well received by their customers.

"The sheer number of KKR fans is a number large enough to drive visibility for a young brand like MPL," said Srinivas.

This year during IPL, MPL will not only launch new games but they will also launch subscription pass. "We will enable our customers to opt for a single subscription pass. We did a pilot last year and this year we are launching the feature. With this pass, users can enjoy multiple different games," he said.

MPL, which is close to becoming a unicorn, has been able to get as many as seven crore users in India in less than three years and a lot of credit can be given to the strong visibility the brand has received during IPL.

In fact, Srinivas by end of IPL 14 expects to reach 10 crore user base. "We expect to add around three crore users during this season of IPL," he said.

And to get more users on board, MPL will be spending more than last year in terms of marketing, noted Srinivas.

When it comes to marketing, MPL has been spending significantly. The company's marketing expenses increased from Rs 29.62 crore in FY19 to Rs 137.67 crore in FY20, according to reports.

But Lloyd Mathias, Investor and Business Strategist, said that "advertising and marketing have helped MPL become a household name in the gaming space which has helped in getting more users on board."

A company official in an earlier interview with Moneycontrol had said that the platform saw strong retention even after the coronavirus-led lockdown was lifted, signalling that there are takers for online gaming even when people have out-of-home entertainment options. Even monetisation improved despite the lifting of lockdown, the official had said.

It looks like MPL is betting big on both KKR and IPL for the upcoming season.

IPL 14 will start on April 9. KKR, which has won the league twice, will play its first match on April 11 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.