Puma's New Campaign Unites Kareena Kapoor Khan, Mary Kom For Women's Premier League

Puma has curated a group of influential women, including actor Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sugar Cosmetics Co-founder Vineeta Singh, boxer MC Mary Kom, fashion designer Masaba Gupta and news anchor Faye D’Souza, uniting them to champion the cause of women's cricket in India.

In this collaboration, these women will collectively participate in a Women’s Premier League (WPL) match in New Delhi on March 10, coming together for a special ladies’ night to endorse and celebrate the achievements of women athletes in the country.

On Thursday, Puma took to social media to unveil its collaboration and a campaign, accompanied by a digital film showcasing the participation of the five women namely Khan, Singh, Kom, Gupta and D’Souza. Narrated by them, the film, conceptualised by Puma disclosed a concerning fact - women’s cricket garners only 1/8th of the viewership compared to men’s cricket, as indicated by official digital viewership data from 2023. The gender bias in the sports ecosystem highlights the potential yet to be realised, with only 18 per cent of women who watch men’s cricket engaging with the women’s game.

Commenting on the occasion, Karthik Balagopalan, Managing Director, PUMA India, said, “As the country’s leading sports brand, PUMA has been a long-standing driver of change in shattering gender biases and championing women’s sports. Traditionally, women in the country have not been encouraged to watch and embrace sports as men have. Now that is the need of the hour. We are at the turning point to create an equitable sporting landscape and women need to watch women’s sport in order to drive change.”

He further added, "As we launch this campaign today, it is heartwarming to have India’s leading women such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vineeta Singh, MC Mary Kom, Masaba Gupta and Faye D’Souza, use the power of their voice and platforms to address this cause. Cricket is Everyone’s Game and as a brand, we have been advocating it from the time we onboarded Harmanpreet Kaur with an award-winning social experiment. We are confident now that this remarkable collaboration will further the narrative, level the playing field, increase fandom and create inspiration for the future generation of women athletes.”

In the digital film, the women are committed not only to uniting to witness the WPL match between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the stadium but also to extending an invitation to women from various backgrounds to join them. They urged everyone to collectively relish the game during this distinctive Ladies' Night.

Commenting on the occasion, Kareena Kapoor Khan said,“ India has seen some significant performances by our female athletes recently but there is so much more scope for it to be brought out with more glory. While cricket is a religion in our country - the spotlight, the viewership, the fanfare – is markedly lesser in women’s cricket when compared to men’s cricket. Personally, cricket as a sport has always been close to my heart, it runs in our family and now we own a team as well so it's even more special.“

She added, “I’m glad that a brand like PUMA has identified this need and come forward with this stand-out campaign to increase the participation of female viewers in women’s cricket. Let’s come together and join PUMA to bring the much-needed change.”

As the excitement for WPL starts, Puma endeavours to shed light on the count of female viewers in the game and stimulate conversations about fandom and mindset change as an initiative by uniting women from diverse industries in a nationwide movement.

"I am honoured to stand alongside formidable women in supporting Puma's groundbreaking #CricketIsEveryonesGame campaign at the Women's Premier League. Being an entrepreneur, I have faced barriers and I understand the power of breaking them. It’s disheartening to witness the vast viewership gap between men's and women's cricket, and we are committed to changing that narrative which goes beyond the boundaries of the sports arena; it's about empowering women, fostering entrepreneurship, and boosting the sports economy,” commented Vineeta Singh, Cofounder, Sugar Cosmetics.

As the official kit sponsor for both Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals, Puma actively fosters a sporting culture in India. The brand showcases a roster of brand ambassadors, including cricketer Virat Kohli, footballer Sunil Chhetri,  boxer MC Mary Kom and cricketers Harmanpreet Kaur and Mohammed Shami.

Masaba Gupta, Fashion Designer stated, “Female athletes serve as powerful role models for girls and young women. Supporting women's sports fosters a sense of community and inclusion by bringing people together to celebrate athletic achievements, regardless of gender. Through this campaign with Puma, we aim to revolutionise women’s cricket and I hope to see many women to be a part of this historic movement.“