The Knight Riders DNA: Why Kolkata Turns Up For Beloved Franchise, Every Single Time

A six-match winless streak; the searing heat of an April Kolkata afternoon; a far better-placed Rajasthan Royals outfit. The Knight Riders’ (KKR) fans had substantial reasons to skip the stadium visit for match 28 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. But giving in to such factors goes against the grain of fandom, and so you had a purple envelope layering Eden Gardens for a 3:30pm game, almost in defiance of the extreme weather.

The intrepid supporters were eventually rewarded with KKR’s first victory of the season and a thrilling match to boot. One gets the feeling, though, that even if the result didn’t go their way, the ‘Purple and Gold Army’ would still have turned up in huge numbers for the next outing in the City Of Joy, renowned for its sports love and heritage. That’s the power of the Knight Riders’ brand — crafted and honed over 18-plus years.

For KKR chief marketing officer (CMO) Binda Dey, who was in business school when the franchise was taking shape, it has been one of the most interesting case studies. “The way the owners, especially Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) — a marketing genius himself — thought about the team from year one onwards was remarkable. From having Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo as the motto of the team to how the logo was developed, the jersey designed and sponsorship built, it has set a benchmark of its own,” Dey tells Outlook.

SRK intuitively understands brand-building, the 45-year-old CMO feels, and his vision for the franchise “seamlessly flowed into all the communication” around it. “It has never been about a particular player; the messaging has been about the team as a whole.”

Early Days

When the IPL was introduced in 2008, masterminded by Lalit Modi as a response to the rebel Indian Cricket League, there was no precedence in the nation for franchise leagues of any kind. A lot of it was figured out on the go in the initial years, Dey says. “We set about our own processes and BCCI had clear guidelines on stadium operations, security, team management, and the auction process. It has been evolving over the years."

Instead of borrowing best practices from long-ruling Western behemoths like the NBA, Premier League and NFL, it was the other way around in some sense, the marketing leader claims. “It's not that they've borrowed, but when we've showcased what we've been doing in the IPL in marketing and technology, and how we've grown the global fan base, they are shocked. Whenever they've come to experience matches, they have been blown away by the fan turnout, engagement, and the passion with which the sport is followed. IPL is an Indian-grown franchise cricket model we should be very proud of.”

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The country’s unadulterated love for cricket was already well known around the world. The league has imbued method to the madness, Dey explains. “Not just KKR, each team in its own way has built a fan base and an identity in a short span of time. Compared to many of the other biggies across sports, this is a much younger, 18-year-old league. It doesn't have the legacy of many decades. Achieving such a scale so fast is unique and that has caught attention globally.”

Changing Times

Having been a contributor to and beneficiary of the IPL phenomenon, KKR have tried to bring the fans to the forefront in the past decade. Dey, who is into her second stint with KKR, first joined the franchise in 2015 and kick-started the transition.

“For the first campaign that I did in 2016, I thought, let's also include the fans in this journey. What came about was Ami KKR, meaning ‘I am KKR’ and signifying that both the fans and the players make the team what it is. So that has been the transition: more inclusive and putting the fans in the centre of all communication. We've been building on it year after year.”

Will the fans’ interest for the in-stadium experience wane with the advent of artificial intelligence and virtual reality? The Knight Riders executive thinks not. “AI or VR only enhance the experience of watching cricket. Live viewing in the stadium is entirely different and just can't be replicated by a VR headset.

“On broadcast, you get to see all the different angles and replays apart from multi-language commentary. But live cricket is something else because you draw from the fans in the stadium. It's a group viewing experience, which can't be replicated by technology in any way.”

It’s also interesting to note that the audience demographic has not changed drastically over the years, at least for KKR. “The number of male followers is higher, but we've been lucky to have a fair share of female consumers also, thanks to SRK. The younger audience is growing year-on-year, but we want to be more present in the form they like to consume content in.”

Dey cites the instance of her 16-year-old BGMI-playing nephew excitedly telling her that he saw a KKR zone in the video game. “When the younger audience sees the brand present in the world they love, it becomes more relevant for them. Even merchandise is a big way to catch their interest because lifestyle is key for them. These are the ways they want to show their swag for the team. We are bringing a lot of initiatives to keep them heavily engaged and top of mind for us.”

Beyond SRK

Having an owner with a larger-than-life personality can have its pros and cons. While SRK invariably draws crowds to every Knight Riders fixture he attends, his Bollywood superstardom and the craze for upcoming projects ('King' being the current one) could well take the spotlight away from the cricket and the cricketers. The CMO, however, believes they’re able to delink the brand from the ‘Baadshah’ when needed.

“KKR and SRK are quite inseparable. But our partnerships and promotions are centred around the team, players and brand. Unlike the early days, right now if there's a new campaign, it's all about the players. It's not going to be a poster with SRK right in the centre with all the players around.”

Further, consistency matters. Wins and losses do not change the way the team is marketed. “When we plan a campaign, we keep in mind that a season can go anyway and make it such that it'll work across all kinds of situations. If you build a communication, it's important to stick to it. That's the reason Korbo Lorbo Jeetbo is the core of the brand that has stayed constant.”

Lessons For The Future

The ‘customer is king’ tenet applies to IPL outfits too, and will continue to guide their future evolution. Dey says her greatest learnings have been listening to the fans and being agile.

“Anything that you do this season, there's no guarantee it's going to work next year. It can't be a cookie cutter model. In the end, it's an emotional connect we’re building with a sports team. It's not a product or service we are selling. So it's very important to hear the fans and embrace new technology.”

The advertising for franchises has had to be altered dramatically in light of the above. With social media slashing attention spans, the need for speed is greater than ever. “Earlier, you would plan for an ad spot typically for a 30 seconder. You would have to tell the story and seek change in usage behaviour, call to action within 30 seconds. Now you have to grab attention in three to five seconds. That's the reality we live in."

Dey adds, “Ideally when you're building a communication or an ad, a lot of effort goes in, there's a creative vision. You want to tell a story in a certain way. But in today’s world, if you've not caught the attention in the first five seconds, you've lost the consumer.”