“Cricket is everyone’s game.”

Global sports brand Puma has united with a lineup of female icons – actor & entrepreneur Kareena Kapoor Khan, cofounder of SUGAR Cosmetics Vineeta Singh, boxer MC Mary Kom, fashion designer Masaba Gupta and news anchor Faye D’Souza – champion the cause of women’s cricket in India.

Puma announced this one-of-a-kind campaign with a digital film featuring the five women. Narrated by the leaders, the film revealed that women’s cricket receives only 1/8th the viewership as men’s cricket as per 2023, reflecting the significant gender bias in the sports ecosystem.

“It’s time we break the cycle and make a statement. Let’s come together and change these numbers,” their caption wrote.

In the digital film, the stars pledged to not only come together to watch the WPL match between Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the stadium but also welcome women from all walks of life to join them and enjoy watching the game as a collective over this Ladies‘ Night.

Puma’s partnership with female icons from all industries – sports, acting, cosmetics and fashion –

Commenting on the occasion, Karthik Balagopalan, MD, PUMA India, said, “Traditionally, women in the country have not been encouraged to watch and embrace sports as men have. Now that is the need of the hour. We are at the turning point to create an equitable sporting landscape and women need to watch women’s sport in order to drive change.” Karthik added, “As we launch this campaign today, it is heartwarming to have India’s leading women such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Vineeta Singh, MC Mary Kom, Masaba Gupta and Faye D’Souza, use the power of their voice and platforms to address this cause. We are confident now that this remarkable collaboration will further the narrative, level the playing field, increase fandom and create inspiration for the future generation of women athletes.”

Ambassador Kareena Kapoor Khan added: “While cricket is a religion in our country – the spotlight, the viewership, the fanfare– is markedly lesser in women’s cricket when compared to men’s cricket.“ Kareena added,“I’m glad that a brand like PUMA has identified this need and come forward with this stand-out campaign to increase the participation of female viewers in women’s cricket. Let’s come together and join PUMA to bring the much-needed change.”

The video has received 31.3k views on Instagram along with a host of positive comments. “Great initiative,” one user wrote. “Love this,” another wrote.