Shuttler Kidambi Srikanth signs 4-year deal with Li-Ning

New Delhi: Badminton player Kidambi Srikanth has signed a multi-year deal with Asia’s premium sports brand, Li-Ning. The deal, which is valued at ₹ 35 crore for a period of four years, will comprise sponsorship and equipment supply. Srikanth is only male world No.1 badminton player and also the only Indian player to have won six Super Series badminton events.

Li Ning Co. Ltd retails sporting goods, including footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories for professional and leisure purposes, primarily under the LI-NING brand. In India, the brand is retailed by Sunlight Sports Pte Ltd, which is a multinational exclusive partner of Li-Ning in South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

“Srikanth is among the top badminton players in the world and already the most accomplished Indian male badminton player and a World No 1 player. Li Ning stands for quality and consistency and Srikanth fits the bill perfectly. We want to play our part in helping Srikanth achieve a lot more going forward,” said Mahender Kapoor, director, Sunlight Sports Pte Ltd.

Srikanth is managed by sports marketing firm Baseline Ventures, which was instrumental in getting the tie-up in place.

Tuhin Mishra, managing director, Baseline Ventures, said, “We were really impressed with the road map and vision of the brand Li Ning for Srikanth and the team handling Li Ning is completely hands-on and dynamic, which is so important for a top athlete like Srikanth. We look forward to a great association over the next four years.”

Li-Ning has been supporting the China, Indonesia, Singapore and Australia teams for badminton and was the official sponsor of the Indian contingent at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Li-Ning is also currently Team India’s official apparel partner till the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Founded in 2014, Baseline Ventures is a full-service sports marketing, entertainment and brand licensing firm with presence in Singapore, Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Los Angeles. It manages some of the biggest talent in Indian sports, including shuttler P.V. Sindhu, cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, billiards player Pankaj Advani, batswomen and vice-captain, Team India, Smriti Mandhana, golfer Shubhankar and hockey player Sardara Singh.