Balkrishna Industries Ltd. (BKT) announced that its consumer brand, BKT Tyres, will serve as the Official Tyre Partner for eight of the ten teams in the Indian Premier League's 2026 season. The addition of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to its roster brings the total number of team partnerships from seven to eight.
The eight teams are Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings, and Lucknow Super Giants.
The announcement comes at a commercially significant moment for BKT. The Mumbai-headquartered company, which was founded in 1987 and has built its global reputation manufacturing tyres for agricultural, construction, and mining equipment, has recently entered the Indian consumer segment covering two-wheelers, passenger cars, and commercial vehicles. The IPL partnerships are being used in part to build visibility for this new line of business under the tagline "Elevate Your Drive."
Rajiv Poddar, Joint Managing Director at BKT, said the association would be used to extend a brand campaign featuring actor Ranveer Singh across broadcast and digital channels. "Cricket is one of the most influential cultural forces in India, uniting people across geographies, generations and backgrounds," he said. "Our continued partnerships as the Official Tyre Partner under the BKT Tyres brand allow us to connect with audiences in a meaningful way while strengthening our presence in the tyre segment."
The sponsorships are structured around stadium visibility, broadcast integrations, dealer activations, grassroots programmes, and digital fan-engagement initiatives. Sports consulting agency RISE Worldwide manages BKT's partnerships in India.
Several team executives welcomed the deal. Rajasthan Royals COO Alok Chitre noted this was the sixth year of the franchise's association with BKT. Venky Mysore, CEO of Kolkata Knight Riders, described the partnership as one between "two performance-driven organisations, aligned in purpose." Rajesh Menon, CEO of RCB, called BKT Tyres a new partner whose philosophy aligned with the franchise's values.
The IPL deals are part of a broader international sports portfolio for BKT, which also sponsors Monster Jam, LaLiga, the Italian Serie BKT football championship, EuroLeague Basketball, the Rugby World Cup, and the United Rugby Championship. The company says these associations are intended to reinforce brand positioning across diverse global markets.
BKT currently manufactures more than 3,600 products and supplies customers in 163 countries. Its vertically integrated manufacturing model includes in-house production of carbon black and dedicated research and development centres.