Emirates, the leading international airline of the UAE which serves India with 185 weekly flights, has signed up to be the team sponsor of Indian Premier League (IPL) side Deccan Chargers.

Emirates, which connects 10 points in India with flights to Dubai and its global network spanning six continents, will be supporting the Hyderabad-based club, which won the IPL in 2009, for their forthcoming season.

“We are honoured to be joining forces with the Deccan Chargers and partnering with the team for the next three IPL campaigns,” said Orhan Abbas, Emirates’ vice president India and Nepal, at a press conference in Hyderabad.

“India is a vital market for Emirates and we recognise the huge role it has played in our development, from the employees who make up almost 25 per cent our workforce to the millions of Indian passengers who book with us every year.”

“Through this sponsorship we have the chance to connect with the people who we connect to 122 destinations and show our ongoing commitment to a nation which Emirates has been serving since we began operating in 1985,” added Orhan Abbas.

“It is also a tremendous opportunity for us to further strengthen our support of a sport which the people of India follow with renowned passion. The IPL has rapidly established itself as a spectacle of sport and entertainment followed by billions around the globe and will provide Emirates a platform to consolidate our position as a world force in sports sponsorship.”

The Deccan Chargers will start their title challenge against another league team, Chennai Superkings April 7.

“We are proud to have a leading global brand like Emirates as our Team Sponsor for the next three seasons of the IPL,” said Deccan Chargers co-owner Gayatri Reddy, who was joined at the press conference by COO Venkat Reddy.

“We are confident this association with Emirates will be fruitful. With an exciting new squad and sponsor, we look forward to the tournament and repeating our winning performance in DLF IPL 2012,” she added. – TradeArabia News Service