Apollo Tyres’ entry as the lead sponsor of the men’s national cricket team started on an emotional note. And it has passed the audiences’ vibe check. The brand turned to the emotional core of cricket, highlighting the journey of cricketers.
Until recently, Indian cricket advertisements largely preferred humour and light entertainment. The trend was noticeable during the period when Dream11 served as the lead sponsor, after taking over from Byju’s in 2023. Dream11’s campaigns often used playful narratives to engage audiences.
By contrast, Apollo Tyres’ first commercial—titled ‘Har Safar Mein Dum Hai’, directed by Abhinay Deo and set to AR Rahman’s Maa Tujhe Salaam track—focused on the emotional bond between the sport and its audience.
One cannot forget Gillette India’s ‘The Best A Fan Can Get’ campaign, rolled out in 2015, featuring brand ambassador Rahul Dravid. It celebrated the passion and commitment of Indian cricket fans through the character of Mangesh Ganpathrao Kadam, who loses his eyesight but not the love for the sport.
Other memorable campaigns that didn’t follow the ‘funny and witty route’ were Hero Honda’s ‘Dhak Dhak Go’ in 2011, Sahara’s ‘Passion’ starring Sachin Tendulkar, and Star Sports India’s ‘Won’tGiveItBack’ in 2015.
The Apollo Tyres campaign brings back this era of cricket advertisements.
The video shows the childhood journeys of Indian cricket icons such as Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Arshdeep Singh. The stalwarts of Indian cricket appear as boys smashing window glasses as they play in gullies. They travel from all corners of the country to a cricket academy to train and make their country proud.
The advertisement bridges generations by featuring Sachin Tendulkar, who is the brand ambassador of Apollo Tyres since 2018. He appears as a mentor of India’s new cricketers.
By placing these stories at the heart of its campaign, Apollo Tyres reminds viewers that behind every iconic performance are years of discipline, struggle, and resilience.
The product placement is subtle. The tyres become the medium that connects the children to their dreams by carrying them to the cricket academy. Of course, there are plenty of shots of the brand’s name proudly displayed on the jersey.
Apollo’s decision to adopt this emotional tone has resonated with the audiences. RPG Enterprises chairman Harsh Goenka on X said that he “loved the film.”
apollo tyres bringing back the art of making advertisements was not on my 2026 bingo card pic.twitter.com/90IyH9O7hE
— mri ♡ (@burritoxo_) February 4, 2026
“Apollo tyres bringing back the art of making advertisements was not on my 2026 bingo card,” a post on X read.
For one X user, the ad is “next-level stuff”.
“This is what real team sponsorship looks like not just logo placements like ‘OPPO’ , ‘Star Plus’, or Dream11. This AD beautifully shows how Indian cricket has Groomed throughout the Generation,” he wrote.
Apollo Tyres became the lead sponsor of the Indian men’s and women’s cricket teams after the BCCI announced a record Rs 579 crore three-year deal. Now, as per the new deal, Apollo Tyres will pay Rs 4.5 crore per game, higher than what Dream11 paid at Rs 4 crore.
Also read: Star Sports’ India-Pakistan World Cup promo falls flat. ‘Greatest rivalry’ deserves better
A milestone moment
In many ways, the Apollo Tyres campaign marks a new milestone in the journey of the brand. The company’s advertising has its roots in traditional product-centric campaigns.
In the late 2010s, Apollo began creating more integrated and adventurous ads around specific product launches. For example, the ‘ThrillUpYourBeast’ campaign, created for the Apollo Alpha two-wheeler tyres in 2018, used visual storytelling to excite biking enthusiasts by personifying a bike’s transformation into a ‘mechanical beast’.
This was part of the company’s effort to break through clutter in the tyre category and glorify it to the younger audiences around lifestyle and performance narratives. Around the same period, the brand also collaborated with Mindshare India on campaigns such as ‘Bad Roads Go to Good Places’ to bolster the SUV segment’s appeal.
A significant shift in the brand’s advertising style came in 2019 with the ‘Ganga: The River of People’ campaign. This was a commercial featuring cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar and music by AR Rahman. The ad equated the brand with India’s spirit of progress, showing people on the move. The narrative pushed Apollo Tyres as a partner in India’s collective and personal journeys, underpinning the essence of ‘go the distance’.
This shift toward emotional storytelling continued with the ‘Have a Wonderful Day’ campaign in 2022. The messaging here focussed on confidence, reliability, and a positive driving experience.
Now, Apollo Tyres’ partnership with the BCCI as a lead sponsor marks a pivotal milestone for the brand. The association gives the brand a significant surge in visibility, placing Apollo Tyres at the centre of India’s most watched game.
With the very first campaign under this partnership already striking a chord with audiences, the brand has laid a strong foundation.
Brand: Apollo Tyres
Director: Abhinay Deo
Views are personal.
(Edited by Prasanna Bachchhav)