Cricket is a religion here. Everyone is watching the IPL—and even more RCB: Akis Evangelidis

Last year, Nothing showed up around Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This year, it owns the front of the jersey.

Somewhere between those two seasons, something changed. Not just for RCB, which finally lifted its first Indian Premier League trophy. But also for Nothing, which quietly went from an interesting challenger to the fastest-growing smartphone brand in India.

So, when Nothing cofounder Akis Evangelidis talks about this partnership, he doesn’t sound like someone buying visibility. He sounds like someone leaning into a story that has already begun.

There’s Bengaluru at the centre of it. There’s community. There’s ambition. And now, there’s pressure.

In an exclusive interaction with OPEN Digital, Evangelidis talks about why the RCB partnership felt ‘obvious,’ what community really does beyond marketing decks, and what happens when a brand stops chasing and starts getting measured. Excerpts:

Last year, both Nothing and RCB were chasing validation. This year, both are defending it. Did that shift change how you approached this partnership?

I think everything we do comes from a very authentic and human place. I personally discovered RCB through last year’s partnership. There were jokes around ‘Nothing’ and all of that, but as the season progressed, I really got into the team.

By the time they won the IPL, there was genuine excitement and engagement. I grew quite close to the team.

On our end, we’ve been on a similar trajectory. Being the fastest-growing brand for one year is one thing because your base is small. But doing that two years in a row, in a market as competitive as India, is a big feat.

We’re not looking to slow down anytime soon. So, when the opportunity came to step up, it felt like an obvious next step.

So, this wasn’t just a marketing spend. It was a strategic bet?

It’s definitely the biggest bet we’ve taken. But when you have the ambition to be a leading brand, not just one among many, you naturally scale your investments and visibility.

Cricket is a religion here. Everyone watches the IPL—and especially RCB. So, this felt like a very natural decision for us.

Bengaluru seems central to everything—your first store, your strongest user base, and now RCB. Was that always the plan?

I’d say the city pulled us in. Gradually, but surely.

We started by seeing that our biggest user base was in Bengaluru. Then came the first-year association with RCB. Then we opened the store. And honestly, the response we saw on launch day—I’ll never forget it. Seeing so many people show up physically, not just online, hit different.

So no, it wasn’t one master plan. But suddenly, all the stars aligned.

You talk a lot about community. What does that actually mean beyond marketing language?

We take it very seriously.

For us, it’s about building a strong relationship with our users. Not just selling to them, but being close to them.

That creates a tight feedback loop—even for product development. We have community members testing devices before they launch, reporting bugs, helping refine the experience.

We also do co-creation, like our Community Edition products. So, it’s not just a marketing term. It’s something we’ve built the company around.

RCB has one of the most emotional fanbases in sport. Does that naturally translate into something meaningful for Nothing?

I think it goes hand in hand. We’ve always tried to build a brand that’s authentic and relatable—especially for younger audiences.

RCB has that same energy. A strong identity, a loyal fanbase, a challenger spirit. Even their “Play Bold” philosophy—it just fits.

So, the synergies were very strong from the beginning.

Many IPL sponsorships feel forced. This one doesn’t. Why do you think that is?

Honestly, everything just felt right.

The team, the mindset, the design focus, the fanbase—it all aligned with how we think about our brand. RCB had this challenger journey for 17 years before winning. That kind of persistence resonates with us.

So, it didn’t feel like a forced partnership. It felt natural.

If RCB hadn’t won last year, would you still have gone all in this season?

To be honest, yes. I personally got very excited about RCB during the season. The level of emotion across our team was quite high.

If anything, there might have been even more attention on them. So I think we would have still gone for it.

What happens to challenger brands when they stop chasing and start defending?

We’re not there yet. We still have a long way to go. We’ll be chasing for a few more years. For us, it’s about staying fresh, staying real, continuing to innovate, and being very strategic. We’re not at a stage where we can slow down.

Final one—RCB this season?

All in. The core team is still there, with some strong additions. So yes, hopefully—back-to-back.