JK Lakshmi Cement is back on the Rajasthan Royals jersey for IPL 2026 as principal sponsor — continuing an association that began in 2018 when the Singhania group cement brand first came on board as title sponsor at a reported ₹11 crore per season.
Eight seasons. That is the story here.
In a sponsorship landscape where brands rotate in and out of franchise deals every two or three years chasing the next hot property, JK Lakshmi Cement's sustained commitment to Rajasthan Royals stands as one of Indian cricket advertising's most instructive case studies in long-term brand building.
The brand logic has always been straightforward. JK Lakshmi Cement's core market is Rajasthan and the northern and western belt — precisely the catchment area where Rajasthan Royals has its deepest fan equity. The franchise's Pink City identity, its Sawai Mansingh Stadium home ground, and its loyal Rajasthan fanbase make it the most geographically aligned sponsorship available in IPL. This is not a national reach play. It is a brand doubling down on market dominance where it already leads.
The commercial outcomes have validated the strategy. The brand's association with the Royals reportedly drove measurable gains in brand recall and preference in the targeted market after the first season — enough to launch a new product entirely themed around the partnership. JK Sixer Cement, launched in 2019, was named directly after the cricket association and took the winning strokes metaphor into the product itself. That is a brand integration that goes well beyond jersey logo placement.
For IPL 2026, the sponsorship landscape around Rajasthan Royals has evolved significantly. Luminous Power Technologies holds the title sponsorship. NEOM, Jio, Red Bull, and BKT are principal partners. JK Lakshmi Cement returns as a principal sponsor in a more crowded but commercially mature ecosystem.
The question for brand strategists watching this renewal: at what point does a long-term franchise sponsorship stop being a media buy and start being brand equity? JK Lakshmi Cement may have already crossed that threshold. In Rajasthan, the brand and the team are synonymous in the consumer mind. That kind of association cannot be bought in a single season. It is built across eight.