In an exclusive interaction with MediaBrief, Akansha Baliga, Marketing Lead at Plum, speaks about the brand’s IPL 2026 partnership with Mumbai Indians, covering the investment rationale, cultural approach, and choice of franchise. She also outlines the on-ground and digital activations, creator-led initiatives, and the metrics guiding success. Read on.
Plum, the skincare and haircare brand, has partnered with Mumbai Indians as its digital and official skincare partner for the ongoing T20 cricket season, bringing its belief in “chemistry, done with heart” to the world of cricket. Through this collaboration, Plum celebrates the idea that the right chemistry can create memorable moments—across labs, in consumers’ homes, on the field, within teams, and across communities.
Explaining why Mumbai Indians (MI) is the right fit for Plum this IPL, Akansha Baliga says, “Data and geography are only one part of the conversation. At Plum, we’ve always believed that when the chemistry is right, incredible things happen. That’s what drew us to Mumbai Indians – a team that consistently demonstrates trust, instinct, and team chemistry at the highest level.
She continues, “As a brand built around chemistry, done with heart, the alignment was intuitive. Both Mumbai indians and plum are champions, winners in their own merit, yet have a lot of fun in performing. More than reach, it gave us a clear narrative to build on, which is far more valuable.”
Rising IPL sponsorship costs: What justified the investment?
Given the rising sponsorship costs in the IPL, Baliga outlines what justifies the investment at this stage of the brand’s journey. She says, “If IPL is treated like a visibility buy, it’s expensive. If it’s treated like a cultural participation platform, it compounds.”
“The justification,” she says, “was simple – can we build something people engage with, almost make it a part of their lives and takeaway our key messaging of chemistry? If yes, the ROI goes beyond impressions into recall, relevance, and revenue impact. At our stage, the bigger risk is being invisible in culture, not the cost of showing up.”
Awareness, acquisition, or market expansion: which objective?
Speaking about the specific business objective that the brand it aims to address by leveraging this IPL partnership, Baliga says, “Awareness is a one of the things that IPL scale brings – but we wanted to go beyond that. IPL is also cultural for India and we wanted to be a part of that culture.
She adds, “We’re extending the idea of playing with chemistry across fan experiences – from creator collaborations and merchandise to match-day moments and community initiatives that bring our consumers and Mumbai Indians fans closer together. The goal is to participate meaningfully in culture, not just be visible in it.”
Beyond logo placement: Plum x Mumbai Indians
Speaking about how the engagement between Plum and Mumbai Indians goes beyond plain old logo placement, Baliga says, “Logo placement is hygiene. We’re bringing playing with chemistry to life in several ways – creators are going to be doing the play with chemistry challenge in the streets of mumbai, we have launched a special UV drink in collaboration with social across all their outlets in Mumbai and Pune.
She adds, “We also have a stand at the Wankhede stadium for match viewers to see, feel and experience the product! If the brand isn’t part of the conversation, it doesn’t matter how big the logo is.”
Key KPIs: What determines renewal next year?
Finally, addressing the key performance indicators (KPIs) that will determine whether Plum renews the partnership in the coming years, Baliga says, “Revenue is the ultimate KPI, but we also understand it’s not the most directly attributed KPI. Hence we’re looking at how searches move, how our brand recall: Top of Mind (TOM), Spontaneous Awareness (SPONT) scores move before and after the campaign.”
