Nutrition multinational Herbalife hopes its partnership with the Indian Premier League (IPL) will help with its ambitious expansion in tier 2 and tier 3 cities in India.

The NYSE-listed company also has plans to increase its product line for the Indian market, its managing director Ajay Khanna said.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had on Wednesday announced its partnership with Herbalife for the Tata IPL 2023, to be played in the country from March 31 to May 28.

“We have always had a long-term association with several sporting events… The IPL is huge. This partnership has strengthened our commitment to sportspersons and to the importance of the right kind of nutrition for them,” Khanna told ET.

Herbalife’s products range from sports nutrition and supplements to energy drinks, protein bars, and meal replacement shakes.

It plans to bring in new products that appeal to Indian tastes and habits and create more access points for its products to increase its outreach, especially in smaller towns.

“Internet penetration has improved in the country over the last few years, and the trend of eating right is rising,” Khanna said. “Smaller markets have immense potential.”Khanna said while the company began as a weight loss solutions provider, today the focus has shifted to good nutrition and eating right.

“All our products – which are FSSAI-approved – focus on an individual’s holistic wellness rather than just weight loss,” he said.

Khanna said Herbalife sponsors about 150 athletes and events, including cricketers Virat Kohli and Smriti Mandhana, boxer Mary Kom, and badminton player Palak Kohli. “We believe in supporting athletes from an early stage, and this year, we are open to many more sponsorship opportunities that may come up.”

The company ended 2021-22 with an overall 10% fall in revenue. However, the Indian segment has done well, with net sales of $677.1 million, up 30% from the previous year.

“We see India as a growing market with a lot of potential…there will be no slowdown in the upcoming year,” , Khanna said.

Herbalife’s partnership with IPL comes at a time when some former partners of the twenty20 league including Amazon Prime, Byju’s, Unacademy, Phone Pe and Swiggy have decided to stay away from this season to save on costs in the face of global economic headwinds.