Wimbledon Serves Up India Strategy: Courts Cricket Fans to Ace Market Growth

New Delhi: Wimbledon is strategically targeting the Indian market, leveraging the nation's fervent love for cricket to broaden its appeal. Iconic Indian cricketers like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Dinesh Karthik, and Sachin Tendulkar have graced the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), underscoring this strategic alignment.

Carlos Alcaraz of Spain serves during a practice session prior to The Championships Wimbledon 2025 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Rohit Sharma's photograph on Wimbledon's Instagram account garnered unprecedented engagement, highlighting the potential of this crossover appeal. According to AELTC Chief Executive Sally Bolton, India and the US are key markets for expanding the historic brand.

Brendan Dinen, Head of Marketing at Wimbledon, spoke to TimesofIndia.com about this strategy: "Cricket is much loved and certainly king for Indian audiences. So rather than trying to compete with that, I think it's about trying to find interesting ways to collaborate. Both sports are rich in heritage... So I think there's interesting ways to be able to bring that to life for audiences, so that they might want to come and watch it as well."

Leveraging Cricket's Popularity

Wimbledon is actively exploring collaborative opportunities with cricket. One initiative involved an Indian social media influencer experiencing a day at Lord's during a Test match, followed by a visit to the Wimbledon Championships, capturing the experience for their audience.

Furthermore, Star Sports, Wimbledon's broadcast partner, created a tennis-cricket crossover trailer that aired during the Indian Premier League (IPL), capitalizing on the tournament's massive viewership.

Expanding Reach and Engaging Younger Audiences

Wimbledon recognizes the potential for further growth, particularly in India, with its large and youthful population. The tournament aims to engage younger demographics through targeted content strategies on platforms like Instagram and YouTube.

Dinen emphasized, "Younger audiences and audiences of the future are crucial to us... So ensuring that we can have the content and different parts of the Championships, with tennis at the centre of that approach - whether that's through social media platforms or working with influencers and content creators - to be able to engage those audiences."

Overcoming Logistical Challenges

Organizers are keen to host events in India, but the monsoon season poses a challenge. As an alternative, AELTC is partnering with PVR INOX to broadcast the finals in theaters, providing a large-screen experience.

Royal Box Invitations

Another strategy involves inviting prominent Indian cricketers like Kohli, Tendulkar, and Rohit to the Royal Box, leveraging their massive social media following. While no firm plans are currently in place due to the Indian cricket team's tour of England, this remains a potential avenue for engagement.

Embracing Technology and Innovation

While upholding its traditions, Wimbledon is also embracing technology. This includes utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) on its app and website in collaboration with IBM.

During live matches, the 'Match Chat' assistant provides fans with instant answers to questions and match analysis.

Dinen concluded, "We continue to embrace technology... And in terms of things like Virtual Reality, we work on areas such as gaming... So we absolutely want to make sure we bring the brand and the Championships to life in new and interesting ways."