India-Afghanistan Friendship Cup announces first commercial partners

New Delhi, 04,September 2026: The upcoming India-Afghanistan T20I series which is the first historic India tour of Afghanistan is gathering strong momentum off the field, with ITW Universe and TCM bringing leading brands into the commercial ecosystem around the property. Valvoline has joined as the Presenting Sponsor, and the series driven by Spinny - India's No 1 renewed car online marketplace for the three-match series.

The India-Afghanistan Friendship Cup, scheduled for September 13, 15 and 17 at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi, comes at an important moment for both cricketing nations. The series is part of Afghanistan’s Future Tours Programme and marks another significant chapter in the growing cricketing relationship between the two countries.

With cricket audiences set for three consecutive international T20I fixtures in the national capital, the property offers brands an opportunity to participate in a high-engagement sporting environment that combines live cricket, fan passion and brand storytelling.
For ITW Universe, which holds the exclusive media rights and production mandate for the series, the early association of Valvoline and Spinny marks the first phase of a larger commercial ecosystem being built around the property. The mandate brings together ITW Universe’s capabilities across media rights, broadcast production, sports marketing and commercial partnerships, with its teams responsible for delivering the media and production experience around the series.

Bhairav Shanth, Co-Founder, ITW Universe, said: “The India–Afghanistan Friendship Cup is more than a three-match cricketing contest. It brings together two cricketing nations with a growing sporting relationship and gives brands the opportunity to be part of a property with strong audience passion and relevance. We are delighted to welcome Valvoline as our Title Sponsor, along with our longstanding brand partner Spinny as Powered By partners.

The early response from the market has been extremely encouraging. We are seeing brands look beyond conventional sponsorship and explore how they can become part of the larger fan experience and storytelling around a sporting property. With the series now around the corner, we expect the commercial ecosystem around the Friendship Cup to continue to grow.”

The association of brands such as Valvoline, Royal Stag Packaged Drinking Partner, Groww India’s No 1 Investment App and Spinny reflects the breadth of categories looking to leverage the scale and engagement of international cricket, while ITW Universe continues to build the property through relevant brand integrations, content and experiences that go beyond conventional logo visibility.

About ITW Universe:

ITW Universe is a leading marketing, media and consulting agency that helps brands scale through insight-led strategy and integrated execution, with capabilities spanning sports marketing, media, content, influencer engagement, entertainment, live events, activations and brand amplification.

User :- Riddhi Bagayatkar

Email :-riddhi@itwplayworx.com