Humans of Bombay has collaborated with cricket franchise Rajasthan Royals, as their storytelling partner for the ongoing season of India’s premier T20 league, with a special emphasis on sharing the awe-inspiring narratives of the Rajasthan Royals Heroes.
This collaboration aims to shine a spotlight on the RR players’ enthralling life journeys, stemming from their diverse backgrounds and cities, which have contributed significantly to their individuality and remarkable success stories.
Established in 2014, Humans of Bombay is known to celebrate the raw, inspiring and extraordinary stories of ordinary people, highlighting human emotions endowed with love, joy, disappointments, tragedies and achievements through their dedicated social media platforms. The collaboration with Rajasthan Royals is an ode to its legacy of celebrating life journeys through the power of vivid and interesting storytelling. The collaborative effort will highlight the experiences of the Rajasthan Royals players that have played a pivotal role in shaping their paths, leading them all the way to the biggest T20 platform. These will be shared through a series of captivating posts that will be doled out systematically throughout the cricketing season.
The collaboration’s mission is to showcase the human side of cricket, offering intimate glimpses into the journey of Rajasthan Royals players through heartwarming anecdotes and powerful narratives. The team’s unique ethos, focused on teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship, will be highlighted, showcasing how these players tackle challenges as public figures on and off the field. Through genuine and original storytelling, the aim is to create empathy for the players, foster a closer bond between them and their fans, and magnify the journey of each team member.
Humans Of Bombay has begun rolling out the stories of the heroes in Pink, on their social media platforms, with the first static post being of RR player – Riyan Parag. The post was made live for HOB’s 4.5+ million community a day prior to the match. The match took place in Guwahati, Assam, which coincidentally happened to be Riyan Parag’s hometown, and was a win for Rajasthan Royals. The post has garnered a tremendous 1M+ impressions, a 800K+ reach and an engagement of 140K+ on HOB’s social media handles.
Riyan Parag is a role model and local hero in Guwahati, Assam with a mammoth fan base, and his journey of more than 5 years, and 50 matches with the RR team, is a true accomplishment for a man, who paved his way to the top, despite the struggles that were associated with someone who came from a small town. Riyan Parag’s story speaks of his childhood memories, passion for the sport, challenges, and success story that transformed him from a ‘kid from Assam’ to ‘Riyan Parag – a Hero in Pink’.
Riyan Parag was quoted reminiscing about the time he got his shot in the league’s 2019 auction, which was unfolding on live TV. He remembers being glued to the television for 2 days, and losing hope to the point that he switched off the television when his name did not appear. At that juncture, his mother came running into his room and broke the news of his selection in the team. Riyan believes that moments like these make the struggle worthwhile.
The next post that went live featured UP’s very own Dhruv Jurel, who joined the league and Rajasthan Royals only last year, after his exemplary performance in U-19 cricket. The post garnered a resounding 900K+ impressions, a 680K+ reach and an engagement of 130K+ on HOB’s social media handles. Following the post, Rajasthan Royals enjoyed a glorious win in Ahmedabad on Sunday night where Dhruv ended up playing a crucial cameo to help the Royals defeat Gujarat.
Dhurv Jurel’s journey is a true example of grit and believing in the impossible. Coming from a humble background in Agra, he credits the support of his family as the reason behind his success. He also spoke about getting the chance to share the field with his idol, MS Dhoni, and the advice that was given to him by Captain Cool, which was to ‘just believe in himself and start hitting’.
Fans can look forward to the stories of players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Jos Buttler, Kuldeep Sen and more. The posts will predominantly revolve around their upbringing, their unwavering commitment to the game, and their encounters with success. Additionally, it will also impart valuable life lessons on how the RR players manage to maintain a balance between their professional commitments and family life. It will highlight how they handle criticism on social media and manage to stay grounded despite their mounting success.
Karishma Mehta, The Founder and CEO of Humans Of Bombay was quoted saying, “Everyone possesses a distinct tale that is worth sharing with the world, whether they are a well-known celebrity, a renowned cricketer, or a humble chaiwala. What makes these stories truly endearing is that each story has valuable life lessons to offer. As someone who has been an ardent cricket fan from a young age, this collaboration feels like a momentous occasion that will forever hold a special place in my heart. Through this collaboration, we bring stories of the Rajasthan Royals team to the fore – revealing their human side through discerned narratives of the RR players, delving into the journey that has shaped them into the acclaimed team that they are today.”
Jake Lush McCrum, Chief Executive Officer, Rajasthan Royals, stated, “At the Royals, we’ve always taken huge pride in unearthing young talent and providing them with a platform to excel, which consequently brings these players into the limelight. We are constantly trying to curate ways through which we are able to tell the powerful individual and collective stories of our talented squad, and this collaboration with Humans of Bombay is one such step in that direction. We believe our supporters around the world will love reading these stories which are captured and portrayed with a unique perspective and highlight the grind that goes into reaching the very top level.”
