Indian cricket has emerged as the biggest force in Asia-Pacific automotive sports sponsorship, attracting US$122.9 million in 2025 and accounting for 34.2 per cent of the region’s total sponsorship value, according to new GlobalData research.
The Asia-Pacific automotive sports sponsorship market reached a record US$359.5 million in 2025, with cricket contributing more than two-thirds of the sector’s growth since 2020.
GlobalData’s report, Sponsorship Sector Report – Automotive – APAC 2026, found that automotive sponsorship spending on cricket increased by 64.7 per cent over the five-year period, making it one of the few sports in the region to record annual value growth since 2020.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have attracted premium sponsorship deals by offering automotive brands access to large national audiences and strong connections with cricket fans.
Olivia Snooks, Sport Analyst at GlobalData, said automotive brands were increasingly partnering with cricket properties across the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in India.
“India cricket accounted for three of the top 10 largest automotive deals across the region in 2025, including Tata Motors’ IPL title sponsorship deal, which is the largest across APAC.”
The report found that 46.3 per cent of the region’s automotive sponsorship deal value in 2025 came from just 11 agreements worth US$5 million or more.
The number of active automotive brands sponsoring sports across Asia-Pacific also increased significantly, from 117 in 2020 to 274 in 2025.
During 2025, 69 brands entered the region’s automotive sponsorship market for the first time, signing 71 deals. More than half of the new entrants were Japanese brands, accounting for 36 deals, while Chinese brands accounted for 10.
Many of the new partnerships were smaller brand-awareness campaigns linked to major team sports, including the IPL, Australia’s National Rugby League (NRL) and Australian Football League (AFL). Others involved motorsport competitions such as Asian Le Mans and Supercars, as well as baseball and Olympic-related partnerships.
However, 62 brands that had active sponsorship agreements in 2024 exited the market in 2025, withdrawing more than twice the financial value brought in by new entrants.
Snooks said the exit was led by Roewe’s US$8 million departure, which was directly offset by the entry of its parent company, SAIC Motor.
The report also highlighted contrasting strategies among major automotive sponsors. Tata Motors committed US$64.3 million across three high-value deals, while Toyota spent US$33.4 million across 11 mid-sized partnerships.
Tata Motors and Apollo Tyres concentrated their investments on major cricket sponsorships, while companies such as Toyota and BKT pursued a broader strategy through multiple partnerships. Tyre manufacturers accounted for four of the region’s top 12 sponsorship positions.
Over five years, automotive sponsorship spending increased at an average annual rate of 10.5 per cent across the sector, but individual brands followed different trajectories.
Apollo Tyres recorded growth of 67.4 per cent, Tata Motors 52.6 per cent and Nissan 36.4 per cent, while Hyundai reduced its spending by 17.2 per cent, Hero MotoCorp by 14.3 per cent and Yamaha by 12.2 per cent.
GlobalData said only seven automotive brands maintained continuous year-on-year sponsorship growth from 2020.
The findings underline the growing commercial influence of Indian cricket in the Asia-Pacific sports sponsorship market, with the IPL and BCCI attracting major investments from automotive companies seeking large audiences and national brand visibility.
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