Bats and borders
Also in the newsletter: TikTok is going to the World Cup and the latest on Indian football’s delayed (and impossible) restart.
Good evening,
Lionel Messi, the footballer? GOAT, they call him. But Messi the bartender? I’m not too sure. Speaking to Luzu TV last week, the Argentine revealed his drink of choice, entirely out of left field, as we say! “I like wine, but if not, I like my usual: wine with Sprite. So it hits fast,” Messi said, laughing.
The weekend is a few days away, but if anyone decides to field-test the Messi Spritz (I’ve taken the liberty to call it that!) before then, do consider this a public service experiment, and please report back. 😅
Welcome to The Left Field, a twice-weekly sports business newsletter from The State of Play. The newsletter lands on Mondays and Wednesdays between 5:30 and 6 pm IST and is free to read. Think of it as a short, mid-week desk briefing: curated, considered, and written to be read in one sitting. Deeper reported stories and long-form analysis continue to live at The State of Play, published every Friday.
On that rather boozy note, here’s today’s edition 👇🏽
The Signals
• How the India-Bangladesh standoff is reshaping cricket’s bat market
India’s fraying diplomatic (and cricketing) ties with Bangladesh are spilling over into its sports equipment manufacturing industry.
What’s happening? Over the past 18 months, since tensions first began, Indian cricket equipment brands have been quietly scaling down their presence in Bangladesh. Individual player contracts are being shelved, and distribution is being wound down. For over a decade, Bangladeshi internationals have overwhelmingly used Indian bats and gear. That includes:
Mushfiqur Rahim (SS or Sareen Sports)
Litton Das and Mominul Haque (SG or Sanspareils Greenlands)
Najmul Hossain Shanto (Stanford Industries or SF, previously with SS)
Jaker Ali (RNS Larsons)
That dominance is now wobbling, while also creating an opening for Pakistani batmakers to fill the void. Sialkot-based brands such as CA Sports and MB Malik (both MBS and UMZ) are already circling, helped by warmer political ties, with cricketers such as Tawhid Hridoy (CA) and Rishad Hossain (MB) already making the switch. Local challengers could also benefit, including ventures such as MKS Sports, backed by Bangladeshi players Imrul Kayes and Mahedy Hasan Miraz.
Staying firm: With less than a month to go before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, the uncertainty over Bangladesh’s participation continues. It still does not want to play in India, citing security concerns, while the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wants its matches shifted to Sri Lanka. The ICC, according to Cricbuzz, is exploring alternatives within India, including Chennai and Thiruvanananthapuram.
Pakistan, given its recent bonhomie with Bangladesh, has formally entered the chat, per Geo News, offering to host the latter’s matches, in an idea that feels more symbolic than practical.
• TikTok scores big with Fifa
TikTok has landed a seriously interesting sports deal.
Last week, the short-video platform became FIFA’s first-ever “preferred platform” for the 2026 men’s World Cup. The deal essentially positions the short-video app as a central distribution and engagement layer around the tournament.
The details: The partnership runs through the end of 2026 and will revolve around a dedicated 2026 FIFA World Cup hub on TikTok. Expect highlights, explainers, and a steady stream of interactive formats from filters and stickers to light gamification.
Crucially, FIFA is opening the door for its official media partners. Broadcasters will be able to livestream select moments, publish curated clips, and use FIFA-produced content on TikTok. There is also a formal creator programme, with sanctioned behind-the-scenes access and permission to co-create using FIFA’s archive.
Why it matters: For Fifa and rights holders, TikTok becomes a top-of-funnel engine. TikTok says sports fans are 42% more likely to tune into live matches after watching sports content on the platform.
For broadcasters, this creates new inventory rather than cannibalising existing rights. TikTok’s pitch is simple: turn highlights culture into monetisable reach. And finally, for brands, the big shift is safety and scale. Official access plus creator-led formats offer a cleaner alternative to the grey market clip economy that already surrounds major tournaments.
• The ISL’s ignition problems
Speaking of the World Cup, one of the Indian Super League’s (ISL) stated objectives at the time of its launch was to help India qualify for the 2026 edition. Sigh. The league meant to fuel that journey is waiting to start its own season. Sigh.
With little time left, the scramble to the whistle is real.
Deadline, finally: The immediate focus is a set of dates handed out by the All India Football Federation (AIFF). By noon today, clubs were required to confirm participation by depositing the Rs 1 crore fee, lock in their venues, and sign off on the league format.
That process has been anything but smooth. Odisha FC has reportedly asked for more time, while others remain uneasy about participation costs and unresolved issues around relegation. Until clubs commit, little else—finding commercial and broadcast partners and drawing up the fixtures list—can move.
The current plan assumes all 14 clubs take part, producing a compressed 91-match season. That assumption is doing a lot of work.
How it came to this: On Friday, The State of Play laid out how Indian football slid into this corner, and what it actually takes to restart a professional league in 39 days. It also asked the harder question: what happens when the capital that kept the ISL afloat for a decade steps away?
The answers are surely uncomfortable. But there may still be space for a (yet another) reset, if the league survives ignition.
The Position
🚜 Going all in: BKT Tires has signed up as the official tyre partner for all five franchises in the 2026 edition of the Women’s Premier League (WPL). The company has long been involved in T20 cricket leagues, and is also an official partner for the ongoing Big Bash League in Australia.
Also read: The State of Play’s debut story on BKT Tires’ unconventional sports sponsorship strategy).
💵 Topping up: Global beverage giant Coca-Cola will sponsor the Indian women’s football team for the next three years. 2026 is a big year for Indian women’s football with the team participating in the AFC Women’s Asia Cup in Australia later this year.
🪑 Filling in: Former midfielder Michael Carrick has emerged as the leading contender to manage Manchester United until the end of the season. Ex-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær is also in contention for the interim job.
The Stack
🤯 Kabaddi murders: How betting, gang wars became entangled with Punjab’s favourite sport (Indian Express)
🧳 Planes, trains, and the team bus: How do a Premier League club handle logistics and travel (The Athletic)
That’s about it for this Monday edition of The Left Field. See you on Wednesday!