The much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) will finally begin on September 19 in the UAE. The tournament that was slated to begin on March 29 was indefinitely postponed due to the lockdown order in India. BCCI finally made the decision to let the UAE host the 13th season of IPL amid the rise in COVID-19 cases in India.
Meanwhile, an IPL cricket team has signed a sponsorship deal with a sanitary brand. It seems like a raw move considering the deep-rooted stigma and taboos prevailing in the country regarding menstruation. IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals (RR) who feature England star players- Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer said that they hope that the sponsorship deal with the sanitary pad brand named Niine will help educate men on a grand scale.
For the unversed, there many entrenched taboos in India around menstruating women. In some of the rural areas, women who are menstruating are made to sleep separately and are banned from entering a temple or other holy places.
The brand logo of Niine will be on the back of the jerseys of Rajasthan Royals’ players for the tournament. In a statement, the Royals said that with cricket being the most-watched sport in India, it provides the perfect pedestal to address health and generate social change.
Also Read IPL 2020: Dream11 Named As The Title Sponsor For This Year’s Tournament
The statement further added that RR is honoured to be the vehicle that will help educate men through the IPL 2020 season. They are willing to bring about not only awareness but also understanding on a grand scale in the Indian society.
However, the Rajasthan Royals spokesperson denied giving away the financial details about the deal. But indeed, it is a good initiative to eradicate the stigma surrounding periods in Indian society.