Royal Celebrates Successful 2026 Major League Cricket Season with Fan Experiences, Community Engagement and Team Partnerships
As the #1 Basmati Rice Brand in the U.S., Royal connected with thousands of cricket fans through activations with Major League Cricket, the San Francisco Unicorns and MI New York
CYPRESS, Calif., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal®, recognized as the #1 brand of Basmati in the USA, concluded another successful Cognizant Major League Cricket (MLC) season, connecting cricket fans nationwide with the sport, culture and flavors they love. As Premium Partner of the San Francisco Unicorns and Associate Partner of MI New York, Royal engaged thousands of fans from the first pitch through the MLC Championship Final on Saturday, July 18 in Oakland, California, where the Los Angeles Knight Riders claimed this year's title.
Royal's season came to life through two major in-stadium activations in Oakland and Dallas, drawing attendees to the Royal booth for brand-themed activities and giveaways. Fans took home custom jute bags filled with Royal Basmati and Royal Chef's Secret samples, each personalized with charms on-site. A fan-favorite challenge sent attendees searching for a Royal-branded cricket ball hidden in a giant inflatable bowl of "rice," with lines forming for the chance to win Royal product prizes. Royal also joined the San Francisco Unicorns' Family Day, a community event where families, children and cricket fans enjoyed an afternoon of player meet-and-greets and sponsor activations, including customizing their own Royal jute bags to take home.
The season's signature fan moment came on Saturday, June 27, when Royal hosted the Royal® Fan Meet-Up, an exclusive Royal® x San Francisco Unicorns Player Meet & Greet at New India Bazar in Santa Clara, California. More than 400 attendees got the opportunity to meet Unicorns players, capture photo moments, receive player-signed posters and sample Royal biryani alongside fellow cricket enthusiasts.
"Season 4 marks another exciting chapter in a relationship that began with Major League Cricket's very first season," said Abhinav Arora, President of LT Foods Americas. "Through our partnerships with the San Francisco Unicorns and MI New York, Royal has been proud to celebrate South Asian culture and cuisine with cricket fans across the country, and we look forward to continuing to grow alongside this incredible sport."
For more information about Royal, please visit authenticroyal.com and on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
ABOUT ROYAL
For over 30 years, Royal® has been providing consumers with the ingredients to create delicious, authentic Indian meals and memorable moments of comfort, celebration and excitement around them. Royal's commitment to quality, authenticity and sustainability has made it the #1 brand of Basmati rice and Sona Masoori rice in the U.S, based on Nielsen Basmati Rice Category xAOC L52w ending 8/9/2025. Proudly grown in India, Royal is on a mission to bring people together over food, blending cultures, flavors and traditions to help consumers create, express and share the many flavors of life. For more information about Royal and the brand's roster of authentic Indian products, please visit authenticroyal.com and join us on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
ABOUT LT FOODS
LT Foods is a leading Indian-origin global FMCG company in the consumer food space. It is a key player globally in the specialty rice and rice-based foods business for more than 70 years. The company is committed to nurturing the goodness of food for people, the community and the planet. With nurturing goodness at the heart of everything they do, the company has been delivering the finest quality and taste experiences in more than 80 countries across India, U.S., Europe, Middle East, Far East and the Rest of the World. Our range of portfolio includes 'Daawat', one of India's most loved and consumed Basmati brands, 'Royal', North America's No. 1 Basmati player and many more. The company is proudly expanding into the future food preferences of millennials by offering organic staples through the brand 'Ecolife' in markets across the globe and supplying organic agri-ingredients to leading businesses. For more information about LT Foods, please visit ltgroup.in/.
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