Kia Tennis Premier League Adds Kia India to All Eight Teams
Kia India Increases Its Investment in Indian Sports Beyond Automobile Marketing.
Kia India has widened its role in Indian tennis by signing a multi-year agreement to become the principal partner of all eight franchise teams competing in the Tennis Premier League (TPL), adding another layer to the car maker’s growing involvement in the sport.
The announcement comes weeks after Kia India agreed to become the title sponsor of the league for three years, a deal unveiled in Mumbai in May 2026. Under the latest arrangement, the company’s branding will appear on the front of the playing jerseys of every franchise taking part in the competition.
The teams covered under the agreement are Gurgaon Grand Slammers, Lucknow Blazers, Hyderabad Strikers, GS Delhi Aces, Gujarat Panthers, Kolkata Thunder Blades, Mumbai Royals and Rajasthan Rangers.
The move places Kia India at the centre of one of the country’s fastest-growing professional tennis competitions at a time when Indian sport is seeing increasing interest from large corporate sponsors beyond cricket. Football, kabaddi, badminton and tennis leagues have all attracted private investment over the past decade as organisers seek to create year-round sporting properties with television and digital audiences.
Alongside the commercial partnership, the league and its franchise owners have announced plans for grassroots coaching programmes aimed at young players. Each of the eight teams will conduct a free two-day tennis camp in its home city for boys and girls aged between 10 and 18.
The camps will include coaching sessions as well as guidance on fitness, injury prevention, nutrition and mental preparation. Organisers said sports nutritionists, physiotherapists, psychologists and experienced tennis coaches would take part in the programmes.
In total, the initiative is expected to provide 16 days of coaching and player development activities across eight cities.
Grassroots investment has become a major concern for Indian tennis administrators and former players. India has produced internationally recognised names such as Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi, Sania Mirza and Rohan Bopanna, but the country has struggled to build a large pipeline of players capable of consistently competing at the highest level of the sport.
Paes remains India’s only Olympic medallist in tennis after winning bronze in the men’s singles event at the 1996 Atlanta Games, while Mirza became the country’s first women’s doubles world number one and won six Grand Slam titles during her career. Their achievements helped increase public interest in tennis, although the sport continues to face challenges related to infrastructure, coaching access and the cost of training.
The Tennis Premier League was created to address some of those issues by combining a professional competition with youth development programmes and community participation. Founded in 2018 by Kunal Thakkur and Mrunal Jain, the tournament has completed seven seasons and operates with the support of the All India Tennis Association (AITA) and affiliated state associations.
Former Indian stars Leander Paes and Sania Mirza have been closely associated with the competition, while actors Sonali Bendre Behl and Rakul Preet Singh have also supported the league as promoters and ambassadors. The presence of sporting and entertainment personalities has helped increase visibility for a tournament that competes for attention in a crowded Indian sports calendar.
TPL officials have also invested in digital initiatives designed to identify players outside traditional tennis centres. Through its app-based ecosystem and junior tournaments, the league says it has organised hundreds of competitions across different age groups in recent years. Its Race to Gold scholarship programme has already supported more than 80 young players and aims to help many more in the coming years.
For Kia India, the partnership continues a long-standing connection between the Korean automotive company and tennis. Globally, Kia has maintained an association with the Australian Open for more than two decades and has regularly used the sport as part of its international sponsorship strategy. Industry observers view the company’s move into Indian tennis as an effort to strengthen its visibility among younger consumers and urban families who form an important segment of the passenger vehicle market.
Sports sponsorship in India has traditionally been dominated by cricket, which attracts the largest share of advertising and broadcasting revenue. Tennis competitions have generally operated on smaller budgets and have depended heavily on support from governing bodies and private backers.
The decision to support every franchise rather than a single team gives Kia India a presence across the entire league and offers a level of financial stability that organisers believe can help strengthen the tournament’s long-term future.
With the new season approaching, league officials hope that the combination of professional competition and local coaching programmes will encourage more children to take up the sport and help widen the base of players entering the national system.
For Indian tennis, where the search for the next Grand Slam champion or Olympic medallist continues, initiatives that combine sponsorship with junior development are increasingly seen as an important part of the sport’s future growth.
