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The Challenge
Netflix had never activated around the IPL before. The challenge was to enter one of India's most cluttered marketing environments in a way that felt culturally relevant, without relying on traditional sports sponsorship assets or overt branding. The objective was to build genuine affinity with cricket fans by finding a role for Netflix within the sport, rather than around it.
THE OPPORTUNITY
Burman Sports identified a simple but powerful insight: while millions of fans continue engaging with cricket beyond the final ball, cricketers themselves are also consumers of entertainment. Their moments of relaxation, team bonding and unwinding off the field created an authentic intersection between the worlds of cricket and Netflix, providing a natural entry point into the IPL conversation.
OUR APPROACH
Burman Sports developed Netflix's first IPL partnership strategy by structuring collaborations with Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad around authentic player behaviour rather than conventional sponsorship mechanics. The campaigns brought this insight to life through player-led storytelling: “Chill Like a Champion’ with Rohit Sharma for Mumbai Indians, showcasing Netflix as part of a champion's off-field routine, and Slowly Slowly with Sunrisers Hyderabad, leveraging the team's personality and humour to create culturally relevant content. Burman Sports led the end-to-end strategy, partnership structuring, creative narrative development, and execution across both franchises.
THE Impact
The campaign enabled Netflix to participate meaningfully in cricket culture through authentic, fan-first storytelling rather than traditional sponsorship messaging. By positioning entertainment as a natural extension of players' lives beyond the field, the partnership created a credible connection between sport, entertainment, and fandom, establishing Netflix's first IPL activation as one that felt organic, culturally relevant, and deeply engaging.
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