MUMBAI: Royal Challenge Sports Drink has launched #ChallengeAccepted, a campaign that challenges gender-based stereotypes in cricket and spotlights a world of equality that will lead to a better tomorrow both on and off the field. The campaign has been conceptualised by DDB Mudra Group.

In the film, Mithali Raj, Harmanpreet Kaur, Veda Krishnamurthy from the Indian women cricket team come together with Virat Kohli, the men’s cricket team player, to say that ‘A day is coming where the world needs to become equal’ and urges fans to accept the challenge to break the barriers in their mind and to see men and women’s cricket as one game and one team which is not divided by gender.

The campaign is also people to support the first-ever mixed gender T20 match that the brand will organise with women cricketers and the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.

Talking about the campaign, DDB Mudra South creative head Vishnu Srivastav said, “Royal Challenge as a brand has always stood for forward thinking and boldness. It has stood for the spirit of challenging the ‘now’. So, when it came to this campaign, with the euphoria linked to the cricket season we wanted to talk about what’s missing in all this excitement – Women Cricketers. We wanted to create a campaign that challenges the world to move towards a more progressive and inclusive space for women, in sports and life. And we’re just getting started.”

Diageo India executive vice president and portfolio head Amarpreet Anand noted, “With #ChallengeAccepted, the idea is to challenge stereotypes in life, because the bold are the ones who are fearless to do so. Our first point of view is to challenge gender stereotypes in cricket, where the game is being divided by gender & not skills & prowess. We believe that it’s a cause worthy of a conversation in culture & we are supporting the first mixed gender match with international cricketers. We are rolling out a full 360-degree activation plan supported by like-minded influencers and the RCB cricket team.”