Cricket, as Jonty Rhodes puts it, doesn't live only inside stadiums. It lives wherever the fans are. That belief shaped Budweiser 0.0’s decision to bring the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Trophy to Lollapalooza India, placing one of the sport’s most powerful symbols in the middle of a music-led cultural moment. For Rhodes, the gesture reflects how sport, entertainment and culture are converging. For Vineet Sharma, CMO, AB InBev, it is a fan-first statement that recognises experience as the real currency of modern brand building. In this conversation with IMPACT, the two reflect on what it means to put the game ‘in the hands of the fans’, why cricket memories are shaped as much by context as by the match itself, and how Budweiser 0.0 is entering Indian cricket with humility, intent and a focus on experiences that fans can truly call their own.
Q] You are unveiling the ICC trophy at a music festival rather than a cricket stadium. How do you feel about the sport finding a spot at Lollapalooza?
Jonty: The Sport has progressed from just being based in stadiums. And fans are everywhere, and especially in India. Cricket is more than a sport here. It is a deep passion. You see gully cricket everywhere. What Budweiser has done is bring the ICC trophy closer to the people, to the fans. That makes complete sense today. Sport, entertainment and culture are no longer separate. They are converging, and Budweiser understands that really well.
Q] Over the years as a cricketer, you must have seen many ICC partnerships and the evolution of these partnerships. How do you think that Budweiser 0.0's partnership aligns with the ICC, and what makes this the perfect partnership?
Jonty: Firstly, they have a great deal of experience. They have spent 40 years as a FIFA sponsor and have partnered with two Olympic Games, with cricket now moving into the Olympics. The learnings from other sports and global events allow you to move forward quickly. Every time you enter something new, you are going to make mistakes. The key question is whether you can adapt and be agile. It is the same as cricket. You put in all the work, but you never really know what will happen on the day. Are you agile enough to adapt? That is where Budweiser’s experience comes in. They know when to pivot, change, or switch things up. Of course, we hope for smooth days, but we know things can go wrong, and the ability to respond matters.
Vineet: We want a banging T20 campaign. And this is obviously a kickstart, but Jonty being here itself is a big symbol for us.
Q] The campaign is called 'In the Hands of the Fans'. If you had to leave one aspect of the game entirely in the hands of the fans, what would it be?Vineet: Jonty never leaves anything, by the way.
Jonty: I would say, the experience. Because the governing bodies can own the stadiums, the tour parts of it, the arrival. But the actual experience itself, that is in the hands of the fans. And that nobody can ever take away, or should try and take away. Because it's such a personal experience. And it means something different to every single fan. So, that for me is the biggest truth. Don't mess with the fans. Let them keep the experience. That's it.
Vineet: For us as a brand, we have to take everything. We are entering cricket for the first time. So, for us this campaign ‘In the hands of fans’ is a war cry. Let me say it's a homage to the fans. Because they control all the emotions. They bring all the energy. Of course, there's a beautiful line in the film that we have talked about. That the hands that lift the world cup change. Sometimes it is one team, sometimes another. But there are always people on the other side praying for their team. That energy lies in the hands of fans. We have everything to gain and nothing to give. We want to elevate cricket celebrations in India. Cricket is everywhere. As a brand entering this space for the first time, we want to be humble and learn, while bringing our global experience to the Indian cricket ecosystem.
Q] Jonty, this is a very fan-forward question. You're known for your reflexes as a fielder. And most of your fans have at least one fielding moment of yours etched in their memories. They want to know what is your personal favourite.
Probably two. Obviously, the 1992 World Cup. I dived into the stumps and got the run-out at the end when we were playing in Pakistan. The photographer captured the moment perfectly, which then went around the world. At that stage, nobody really knew about fielding. If it was not for that picture and that incident, they probably would not have noticed me. So that was amazing. Just down the road at Brabourne Stadium, before Wankhede was in operation, South Africa played a Hero Cup match against the West Indies. I took five catches in one game. And talk about a fan experience. As a cricket player, you always expect home ground advantage and your home fans to cheer for you. I have never been to another country where 30,000 fans were chanting. Insane moments.
Those five catches, I was told afterwards, were a world record, even though fielding did not really have world records at that stage. But it was incredible to be in Mumbai, way back in 1993, where the whole stadium was chanting for me. Really incredible.
Q] Vineet, this is the first time Budweiser 0.0, a non-alcohol variant, is being associated with a music festival. What does it mean for an alcohol brand to use this platform to showcase its non-alcohol offering?
The Indian audiences have evolved. Younger consumers, especially those above the legal drinking age, are making more conscious choices and do not always want to drink beer. We are fortunate to have both alcoholic and non-alcoholic variants in our portfolio. This ICC partnership is led by Budweiser 0.0. We want to build awareness for the category. We are already market leaders, and the category is growing fast. Platforms like Lollapalooza and the ICC help more people become aware of it. We also have additional flavours like green apple and peach, and we are very bullish about expanding this category across India.
At the heart of it, this is about mindful consumption. Budweiser is for everyone. Whether you drink or not, the brand is about experiences. Those who do not drink can still hold a Budweiser 0.0 in the hands of fans.
Q] The collaboration feels experience-led and very 360 in nature. Has Gen Z influenced this focus on experiences and your bullishness towards this category?
We have seen where the young India is going. We have been building experiences in India for over a decade. From Sensation to Tomorrowland to BBC, Budweiser has always focused on experiences Globally, we understand how brands are built through culture and partnerships. But in India we have been pioneers of this. And today we are very happy. In India, we were early to this space. Today, young India actively seeks experiences. Lollapalooza tickets sell out almost instantly. That shows the power of experiences, and we want to continue building in that direction.
Q] This campaign feels very personal and fan-forward. Do you have a fanboy moment of your own?
Oh absolutely. I am a big fan of cricket. Of course Jonty is here. So, I don't want to say the cliché moment about Jonty. But one fan moment I clearly remember is when Dhoni hit the winning six in 2011. I still remember exactly what I was doing. It was in April, and I was in a bar with some friends. That moment is etched in my mind because it was the winning six. When we were growing up, India had never won the World Cup. The last one was in 1983, when I was not even born. This was the first World Cup that many Indians truly experienced. Of course, there were tournaments in 2003 and 2007, but for me, the memory of Dhoni hitting that iconic six is a very big personal moment, especially because of the friends I was celebrating with.
I truly believe it is not just about the matches, but also about where you are and what you are doing at that moment. That is what really gets etched in your memory. That is the homage. If you see the film as well, it is all about those moments. You remember Yuvraj hitting six sixes. You remember Dhoni hitting that long shot. These are iconic moments you want to carry with you. And Budweiser has played a huge part in celebrating those memories.
