A Global Brand Meets Play

What does it really take for a brand to belong to a sport — not just sponsor it? And what happens when a global tech giant quietly decides that the future of Indian sport is worth betting on?Join Vijay and Saumil on the Get Kids to Play podcast as Infosys CMO Sumit Virmani unpacks how Infosys built one of sport's most purposeful brand stories, why grassroots can't survive on glamour alone, and what it genuinely takes to nurture a champion in a country still learning to invest in its athletes.0:00 - Introduction1:39 - Why sport and brands belong together: culture, passion and the natural playbook3:24 - Why tennis? The four reasons Infosys doubled down on one global sport5:41 - Technology meets tennis: walking into an ATP Final with only serve speed and scores10:05 - The grassroots gap: why brands chase elite eyeballs and what it costs the base13:41 - The 360 model: investing in academies, coaches and players together16:01 - Rafa, Iga, Carlos: why celebrity ambassadors must be intentional, not opportunistic22:39 - Maya and the Rafa Academy: a quiet bet on a young Indian tennis star25:28 - Girls for Gold to Gear for Gold: how one focused program became six Olympic disciplines27:22 - Sport vs academics: the sharper pyramid problem and what a good model looks like30:03 - Closing thoughts: why any brand invested in sport must take the long viewAbout Sumit Virmanihttps://www.infosys.com/about/management-profiles/sumit-virmani.htmlAbout Get Kids to Playhttps://sportzvillage.com/get-kids-to-play/