It started three years ago when Pakistani telecom company Ufone 5G took up the mantle as the official partner of one of the country’s most passionately followed PSL franchises, Peshawar Zalmi. Today, they celebrate the franchise’s second PSL title in five final appearances. For some brands, this would have meant customary logo placement, a tried and tested method of attracting eyeballs during the nation’s biggest sporting event. But not for Ufone.
Ufone’s partnership with Peshawar Zalmi was motivated by more than the franchise’s cricketing prowess. The brand was drawn to Zalmi’s profound and unwavering belief in the ability of cricket, and sports in general, to serve as a force for positive change. Ufone has also been using sports as a lever for social enablement, gender inclusion, and channeling the energy of young people toward constructive pursuits. Multiple editions of the Ufone Football Tournament in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, partnerships with Pakistan Hockey, e-gamer Arslan Ash, and Olympian Arshad Nadeem are cases in point.
Peshawar Zalmi also uses sports as an engine of positive societal transformation, unity, and inclusion of marginalized segments, including women, differently-abled individuals, and students of religious seminaries, through its Zalmi Foundation. The Foundation has also contributed generously to flood relief efforts and reached out to vulnerable communities with the support they need most. Its work closely aligns with PTCL & Ufone’s nationwide Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives under the ‘Dil Se’ platform.
These shared values brought the two brands together to use the matchless sway of cricket to advance social change, economic enablement, and inclusion. One of the standout initiatives under their partnership was the design of Peshawar Zalmi’s kit for a previous edition of the PSL.
The kit was not designed by any national or international fashion or sports brand, but by women from the small city of Haripur in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who were undergoing training in stitching and embroidery, digital marketing, and small business management under PTCL & Ufone’s ‘Dil Se Ba-Ikhtiar’ project. These embroidered kits, donned by some of the nation’s favourite cricketing stars, brought immense visibility and recognition to the project, the grit of the women behind it, and their budding businesses. It served as a major confidence boost for women working hard to improve their lives and those of their families through better income and living standards.
Then there is the Zalmi Women’s League, which ensures that women remain an integral part of Pakistan’s cricket ecosystem. Through this league, hundreds of women get the opportunity to participate, with some taking up cricket professionally to represent regional and national squads. The league continues to identify, train, and field emerging talent, creating a promising talent pool for Pakistan women’s cricket.
The partnership has also demonstrated how cricket can be used to build powerful communication platforms. Peshawar Zalmi has strategically and creatively helped Ufone build ‘Data Bohhaaat Hai’ into one of the most recognizable brand communication platforms in the country. The campaign successfully translated a functional product benefit into a culturally resonant message, helping make Ufone synonymous with data in the minds of consumers.
A key strength of the partnership has been its always-on digital approach. Through timely content, fan engagement, and consistent storytelling, Ufone 5G and Zalmi maintained a strong presence across platforms throughout the tournament. The partnership actively capitalized on live match moments through real-time content, including reactive posts, meme-led storytelling, and quick-turnaround formats that kept the brand embedded in ongoing fan conversations. This high-frequency, culturally relevant content strategy drove strong engagement and shareability, generated significant digital traction, and contributed to recognition across industry platforms.
This time, fans could not enjoy live matches in the stadiums, so Ufone 5G and Peshawar Zalmi activated large-scale fan parks and experiential zones across cities to take the PSL atmosphere beyond stadiums. These initiatives helped deepen emotional affinity with audiences while keeping the partnership rooted in culture, community, and grassroots engagement.
Until their next PSL title, Ufone and Peshawar Zalmi will continue to leverage cricket to create a positive difference in society.
