Abhinav Kumar Singh 
Paytm First Games, a subsidiary of the digital financial service platform Paytm, has roped in global sporting legend Sachin Tendulkar as the brand ambassador ahead of the 13th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2020), commencing from September 19 in UAE. Paytm is the Official Umpire Partner for IPL till 2022, and has been the title sponsor for Indian Cricket Team.
“The icon of a billion cricket-loving Indians, Sachin would be instrumental in creating awareness about the exciting genre of fantasy sports in the country,” the company said in a statement.
Other than Fantasy Cricket, he would help PFG promote and generate excitement around all sports including kabaddi, football, and basketball. Paytm First Games is among the leading fantasy sports gaming platforms in the country and the partnership with Sachin will increase its reach in smaller cities and towns.
“For millions of Indians, Sachin’s journey has had a deep impact on their personal lives. He has been the sole inspiration for many to play, watch, and believe in cricket, more as a religion than just a game. By welcoming Sachin as the brand ambassador, PFG hopes to inspire gaming enthusiasts to experience the fantasy sports phenomenon,” the statement further read.
The company has also set aside Rs 300 crore for investing in growing the market for fantasy sports and other online gaming events during this financial year. In the coming six months, the platform would also feature 200 plus live events including international and domestic cricket tournaments, soccer leagues and more.
Speaking about the association, Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said, “Sachin represents the dreams and aspirations of a billion-plus people. He is the pride of our country and the true embodiment of excellence, tenacity, and hard work. This association is based on many of the values we share with the greatest sportsperson of all time. Just like Sachin, we believe that country comes over everything else, followed by the company and finally team. We hope that together we inspire millions of citizens to follow their dreams and achieve greatness.”
Sachin Tendulkar also shared his views and said, “Cricket is an engaging sport, and we all tend to have opinions about the game – right from player selection to playing strategies. Paytm First Games will give fans the opportunity to don their thinking hats and experience the thrill of making the correct choices and getting their teams to win. I am happy to partner with Paytm First Games to enable cricket fans to engage more with the ever-popular game of cricket”
Sudhanshu Gupta, COO- Paytm First Games said, “Cricket is like a religion in the country which inspires over a billion people and fantasy sports takes the fan’s level of engagement to the next level where the user experiences the thrill of playing along with the athletes. As India’s homegrown gaming platform, our vision is to get the sports fans closer to the action with fantasy sports. Most of us have grown up watching the Master Blaster in action. With Sachin as a brand ambassador, we wish to inspire mobile gaming enthusiasts to experience fantasy sports which are about tactics, strategic planning and research.”
Paytm First Games offers over 50 games on its platform. The most popular genre is fantasy sports where players apply research and strategy to engage with live sporting events. It currently engages over 80 million gaming enthusiasts with the majority of them from smaller cities and towns.
