India’s leading fantasy gaming platform My11Circle has appointed Ajinkya Rahane, the vice-captain of the Indian Test team, as its brand ambassador.

Ajinkya Rahane joins former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, and former India cricketer VVS Laxman to engage with the fantasy sports gamers on the platform.

The new deal between Rahane and My11Circle comes just ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season as the fantasy gaming platform gets ready to launch a new marketing campaign.

“The passion and love of cricket fans for the sport is the biggest strength of the game, and in that sense, I am delighted to collaborate with a brand, which is committed to making cricket fans feel special,” said Rahane.

“I am really excited to partner with My11Circle that offers a truly personalised game experience to fantasy sports enthusiasts.”

Games24x7, the parent firm of My11Circle, aims to leverage the popularity of Ajinkya Rahane, who will be representing the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2021.

"As we prepare for yet another exciting cricket season, we are delighted to welcome Ajinkya Rahane, one of the coolest and most courageous batsmen in international cricket, to the My11Circle family,” said Saroj Panigrahi, vice president, My11Circle.

“With Rahane's appointment, we will continue to provide an awesome game playing experience to fantasy sports enthusiasts and delight more players with brand new offerings,” Panigrahi added.

My11Circle claims to have over 17 million gamers on its platform and has become one of the top fantasy sports firms in less than two years since its launch in 2019.

Founded by New York University-trained economists Bhavin Pandya and Trivikraman Thampy in 2006, Games24x7 has a claimed user base of more than 70 million through its other offerings such as RummyCircle and Ultimate Games.

It is headquartered in Mumbai but also has offices in Bengaluru, Kyiv, Philadelphia, and Miami.