13 October 2026
Two Indian companies will put their names on India's cricket tour of New Zealand, the biggest bilateral tour New Zealand Cricket has ever hosted.
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Indian Brands Hero VIDA and Ai+ Sponsor India's Record Cricket Tour of New Zealand
13 October 2026 Two Indian companies will put their names on India's cricket tour of New Zealand, the biggest bilateral tour New Zealand Cricket has ever hosted.
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VIDA, the electric mobility brand of motorcycle maker Hero MotoCorp, will be title sponsor of all three series. Ai+ Smartphone, a newer player in India's phone market, joins as the "Powered by" partner.
The tour starts at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday 22 October and runs through to December.
The tour in numbers
| Format | Matches |
|---|---|
| T20 internationals | 5 |
| One-day internationals | 5 |
| Tests | 2 |
| Total | 12 |
New Zealand Cricket says 12 matches is the most it has ever hosted for a tour between two countries.
The opening T20 series will be officially called the Hero VIDA T20I Series, Powered by Ai+ Smartphone.
What the sponsorship means
A title sponsor pays for its brand to be part of a series' official name, appearing across broadcasts, ground signage and promotion. A "Powered by" partner is a secondary tier that also features in the series name.
Neither NZC nor the companies disclosed how much the deals are worth.
Hero MotoCorp describes itself as the world's largest maker of motorcycles and scooters. VIDA is its newer electric brand.
Why Indian brands are backing a tour in New Zealand
The main audience for this sponsorship is likely in India, not New Zealand.
India is cricket's biggest market, and a tour by the Indian team draws huge television and streaming audiences there. For Indian consumer brands, a series named after them is a way to reach millions of fans at home, wherever the matches are played.
Ai+ was open about the commercial aim. Archi Gogoi, its head of brand, marketing and growth, said the deal helps the company build "relevance for the brand beyond the smartphone category".
Gogoi also said cricket in India is a shared cultural experience across generations.
For NZC, the deal brings in money from India's large commercial market at a time when Indian tours are among the most valuable events in world cricket.
What NZC says
NZC chief executive Geoff Allott said there was "no secret" about how big the tour is.
He said building partnerships with the Indian public and businesses was as important as the rivalry on the field. He said the two companies were backing cricket in New Zealand, not just this series.
Hero MotoCorp executive Sanjay Bhan, who leads global business, product planning and market insights, said the company was proud to sponsor a tour that marks another chapter in the sporting relationship between the two countries.
A century of sporting ties
The tour comes at a symbolic moment for the two countries.
India and New Zealand have recently signed a free trade agreement. They are also marking 100 years of sporting links through a programme called "100 Years of Unity through Sport".
That history goes back to 1926, when an Indian Army hockey team toured New Zealand.
For New Zealand's large Indian community, the tour is likely to be one of the biggest events of the summer, with home crowds expected to be split between the two teams.
What remains unclear
The announcement leaves some questions open:
- the value of the sponsorship deals
- whether VIDA products or Ai+ phones are sold or planned for New Zealand
- the full list of venues and dates beyond the Christchurch opener
What happens next
The first T20I is at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Thursday 22 October. The ODIs and two Tests follow through to December.
The sponsorship shows how much commercial weight a tour by India now carries. Whether New Zealand fans see these brands in local shops, or mainly on the boundary signs, is a separate question.
Source: New Zealand Cricket.
