EaseMyTrip’s patriotism pitch falls flat as it withdraws sponsorship from India-Pak semi-final

New Delhi: On July 17, EaseMyTrip unveiled itself as the Presenting Partner of the World Championship of Legends (WCL). Fast forward to July 30, and the same brand is trending, not for cricket, but for pulling out of the India vs Pakistan semi-final, citing national sentiment. 

Nishant Pitti, Co-founder of EaseMyTrip, announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the company would no longer be associated with the high-voltage clash.

He wrote, “The upcoming semi-final against Pakistan is not just another game. Terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand. Some things are bigger than sport. Nation first, business later.”

India vs Pakistan – WCL Semi-Final

We applaud Team India @India_Champions for their outstanding performance in the World Championship of Legends, you’ve made the nation proud.

However, the upcoming semi-final against Pakistan is not just another game, Terror and cricket cannot…

— Nishant Pitti (@nishantpitti) July 30, 2025

This stands in sharp contrast to Pitti’s earlier comment during the partnership announcement:

“At EaseMyTrip, we don’t just book travel; we power experiences. The World Championship of Legends is more than a cricket league; it’s a cultural celebration that brings fans closer to their sporting heroes.”

The announcement came amid fresh public anger over recent terror incidents in Jammu & Kashmir, including the April Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives, and a follow-up encounter in Poonch just this week, where two Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives were neutralised.

But the internet isn’t buying the sudden shift.

X is flooded with posts accusing the brand of “hypocrisy”. Social media users quickly reminded the company of its full-throated partnership just two weeks earlier. Now, with the India-Pakistan semi-final at the doorstep, the most anticipated match of the tournament, the brand has pivoted to patriotism.

One user asked, “Where was this ‘desh bhakti’ a few days ago?”

Another wrote, “Yours should be a good case study for aspiring businessmen. Whenever there’s outrage, you showcase your business—be it the Maldives, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and now the WCL. Your patriotism ad is actually an erosion of critical thinking. It should be consistent, not switched on and off to suit your business.”

Indeed, this isn’t EaseMyTrip’s first brush with political positioning. The brand previously suspended hotel bookings in the Maldives after controversial remarks targeting Indian tourists. Similar headlines followed during tensions with Turkey and Azerbaijan, as the brand repeatedly aligned with nationalist sentiment.

But this time, users seem less forgiving.

“Why did you create a Pak WCL team in the first place? Aus, Eng, WI, SA, Ind & others were enough. You create a problem, then try to solve it to score brownie points. No one’s falling for it anymore,” slammed one user.

“You had access to the full tournament schedule, the list of teams, and the broadcast plans. If Pakistan’s presence was such a moral issue, why sponsor the league in the first place?” asked another.

From brand activism to performative patriotism, X is ablaze with questions.

“Why did you sponsor in the first place? You’re using this to leverage sales from the ‘Indian’ crowd. In Britain, this would qualify as a class action suit—you’ve misled, lied, and used this as an excuse to market your product. You’d be banned, and it would backfire,” another user posted.

The timing of EaseMyTrip’s exit also coincides with reports of Indian players planning to boycott the semi-final against Pakistan, raising further doubts over whether the brand pre-emptively jumped ship to avoid backlash or genuinely made a principled stand.

While the company maintains that it continues to support Team India, its statement that “some things are bigger than sport” is now being turned back on the brand itself.

For many online, this wasn’t a moral high ground; it was a marketing slope.

“Marketing gimmick. Nothing else,” read one of the top comments on X.