Clean Slate Studioz forms major partnership with UK’s Yorkshire County Cricket Club

Anushka Sharma’s brother Karnesh Ssharma’s Clean Slate Studioz has become a principal partner for England’s storied Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC).

The announcement was made yesterday at an event in Mumbai that was attended by Ssharma, Clean Slate OTT co-founder Anvitaa Dutt, Clean Slate Filmz co-founder Amreesh Chandra, Clean Slate Filmz director Ajay Sharma, former England and Yorkshire fast bowler and managing director of the club Darren Gough and YCCC chairman Lord Patel.

The two-year agreement makes Clean Slate Studioz a principal partner of YCCC and its women’s team Northern Diamonds. The main pavilion at Headingley, the club's stadium in Leeds, will be known as Clean Slate Pavilion and its logo will be part of the players’ jerseys and training wear.

Clean Slate Studioz has become the first Indian firm to have naming rights at a UK sporting venue.

Speaking about the partnership, Karnesh Ssharma said at the event, “We are incredibly proud to partner with Yorkshire and be the first Indian company to have its name prominently featured within a UK sports ground. Clean Slate puts inclusivity and diversity at the forefront of its entertainment roster, and we truly believe that our entertainment vision and values align with that of Yorkshire County Cricket Club.”

He added, “Our ambition is to help make the Headingley venue a beacon for equality and inclusivity in Yorkshire and the sport in general. We are looking forward to a great partnership with the club.”

Highlighting the importance of the deal, Amreesh Chandra added, “With India and the UK being at the cusp of drafting a historic trade and business relationship, the partnership between YCCC and Clean Slate reflects the vision of the two governments. The partnership also reflects India’s leadership and global vision during its 75th year of Independence. We believe we are acting as a catalyst for increased sports venue sponsorship in the UK by Indian companies, to strive for the level of success enjoyed by the Middle East in recent decades.”

Darren Gough added, “Headingley has always been a ground like no other and we welcome Clean Slate into our home. As a proud Yorkshire captain and England international, I have seen and felt first-hand the incredible atmosphere in our ground. So I’m looking forward to seeing how the creativity, experience and values that Clean Slate bring can take us forward, on and off the pitch, from the first day of this season.”

Founded in 1863, Yorkshire is one of the premier county cricket clubs in the UK. It is also known to cricket lovers in India because Sachin Tendulkar once played for the club.

Anushka Sharma recently stepped down from Clean Slate Studioz saying she wanted to focus on her acting career. The banner is known for producting films like Phillauri (2017) and Pari (2018) and the web-series Paatal Lok (2020). Anushka's upcoming biopic of India woman cricketer Jhulan Goswami, titled Chakda Xpress, is also produced by Clean Slate.