IPL 2022: BCCI Announces Swiggy Instamart As Its Official Partner

Quick commerce grocery startup Swiggy Instamart is the official partner for the 2022 season of the Tata IPL Tournament, the BCCI has announced. 

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 is scheduled to be played in India from March 26 to May 29 this year.  

Swiggy Instamart is the Bengaluru-based startup’s quick-commerce vertical where it promises to deliver groceries and related items in 15-30 minutes, as per its website, compared to the conventional online grocers.

This was made possible through a ‘dark store’ model, where third-party run micro-warehouses are set up across the city to enable shorter delivery times.  

“IPL is one of the most celebrated sports leagues in the world, and we are excited to partner with the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) to offer a wholesome experience to audiences with our large assortment of munchies, beverages and other snackable options through our quick commerce service Instamart,” said Ashish Lingamneni, head of brand, Swiggy.  

Launched in Gurugram and Bengaluru in 2020, Swiggy Instamart is now available across 23 cities, and doing over 1 Mn orders per week as of last year. In the last few months, Swiggy Instatmart has on-boarded more than one seller-run ‘dark store’ every day, as per its statement.

Instamart offers an assortment of products across categories including fresh fruits and vegetables, daily bread and eggs, cooking essentials, beverages, instant food and munchies, personal and baby care, home and cleaning.

“We look forward to engaging with customers/fans and catering to their needs, be it mid match snack cravings, beverages and popcorn for nail biting finishes or sweet indulgences to celebrate team victories”, said Lingamneni. 

According to Swiggy, its association with cricket dates back to 2018 when the startup rolled out its first set of TV commercials focusing on the core tents of convenience, no minimum order and fast delivery. Since then, the startup has consistently launched new campaigns during the IPL season. 

“We believe that IPL’s success is bolstered by the presence of well-known brands like Swiggy Instamart. Snack, entertainment, and cricket go hand in hand, and I am excited for the value this association will add for both Swiggy Instamart and IPL,” said Brijesh Patel, chairman, Tata IPL. 

Founded in 2014 by Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy, and Rahul Jaimini, Swiggy is an on-demand convenience startup.   

In 2020 Swiggy partnered with Disney + Hotstar webcast and Swiggy Instamart with a leading IPL franchise for exciting and engaging campaigns on digital and social channels. 

Swiggy Instamart’s Market Competitors

With Instamart, Swiggy is directly competing with Amazon Fresh, BigBasket, Flipkart Quick and Reliance Jiomart in the grocery segment. 

BigBasket acquired the enterprise business unit of deeptech startup Agrima Infotech last month. As part of the deal, BigBasket will implement Agrima Infotech’s computer vision technology platform, Psyight, at the self-checkout counters of its retail stores. 

In December last year, delivery startup Grofers rebranded to Blinkit. It entered the unicorn club in June last year with an investment of $120 Mn from Zomato after talks of a possible merger between the two startups. 

Moreover, Amazon had announced its intention to integrate its Pantry services within the Amazon Fresh store in India last year. Pantry encompassed mostly dry groceries, bulk-buy items, and super-saver packs. Amazon Fresh, on the other hand, offers daily groceries, perishables, and household products within two hours.

Meanwhile, India’s quick commerce market is all set to grow 15 times by 2025, reaching a market size of close to $5.5 Bn, leading other markets (including China) in terms of quick commerce adoption, said homegrown management consulting firm RedSeer.