MUMBAI: Gionee India has announced its association with the Bengaluru franchise of the Indian Premier League Team, Royal Challengers Bangalore, as their presenting sponsors for the tenth edition of the annual cricketing extravaganza.

Gionee is already the principal sponsor of the Kolkata franchise - Kolkata Knight Riders, thus becoming the first brand to sponsor front jerseys of two IPL teams in the same edition.

Gionee which is highlighting its focus on Selfie + Battery, will have its logo feature on the front jersey of ‘Royal Challengers Bangalore’ as well as of ‘Kolkata Knight Riders’.

‘Royal Challengers Bangalore’ features some of the best-known names in the world of cricket today with Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson among others forming part of an all star line up. The smart phone manufacturer had signed Captain Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador in November last year.

Gionee India CEO and managing director Arvind R Vohra said, “IPL is one of the biggest carnivals on the Indian calendar. It is as big and important as Diwali with millions of fans cheering for their teams throughout the tournament. This partnership puts us at the forefront in the IPL with the Gionee brand being visible in 26 of the 56 games till the knockouts. We are immensely proud to associate with Royal Challengers Bangalore- a team that has an eclectic talent mix and has entertained its fans over the years.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore chairman Amrit Thomas said, “We, at Royal Challengers Bangalore, are pleased to be associating with Gionee, a brand which has strong resonance among the youth in India. We are looking forward to a building exciting fan engagement initiatives that appeal to our bold fans across the country.”

The company had spent close to Rs 500 crore in marketing last year, and in 2017-18, they plan to increase the same by almost 50 per cent.