The Gems of Indian Football
On 29 October the Lxme Indian Women’s League and Capri Sports put eight footballers, one from each club, in crystal, pearls and fine jewellery. The pictures are stronger than the campaign around them, and the season they are selling begins in a fortnight.
‘Built to Shine’ is an editorial photoseries, not an advertisement in the usual sense. There is no product in it beyond the jewellery, and the jewellery is borrowed. What it sells is a league. One player from each of the eight Lxme Indian Women’s League clubs was photographed by Ridhika Mehra in her own club kit, then styled by Aakruti Sejpal and her team: crystal-covered balls and boots, pearls over the shirts, corsetry over the numbers, and pieces from six Indian jewellery houses. Capri Sports, the league’s new commercial partner, holds the concept and the IP.
The campaign’s launch statement puts it plainly. These women have spent years building their skills, pushing their limits and proving themselves on the field. “Their shine isn’t something that has been given to them,” it says. “It is something they have earned.”
Who wore whose
| Player | Club | Jewellery |
|---|---|---|
| Panthoi Chanu | East Bengal FCGoalkeeper · Manipur · shot wrapped in a goal net | Goenka India |
| Cindy Colney | Nita Football AcademyMidfielder · Aizawl · nineteen, a senior India debut this month | Roopa Vohra |
| Malavika Prasad | Sethu FCCaptain · Kasaragod · a crystal boot over the shoulder | Goenka India |
| Shubhangi Singh | Gokulam Kerala FCDefender · Gujarat · the ‘Young Tigress’ | Origem India · 7th Avenue |
| Anushka Kumari | Kickstart FCForward · Jharkhand · five goals against Iraq this month | Valliyan |
| Pooja Jakhar | HOPS FCForward · Bhiwani · up as IWL 2 champions | Amora Jewels |
| Shruti Kumari | Garhwal United FCWinger · Bihar · IWL 2’s top scorer | Roopa Vohra |
| Kiran | Juba Sangha FCCaptain · the promoted side | Roopa Vohra |
Three of the eight are worth a second look. Panthoi Chanu, East Bengal’s goalkeeper and the first Indian footballer to sign for a club in an Australian league, was shot inside her own net, her crystal-studded gloves and the East Bengal badge the only colour in the frame. Cindy Remruatpuii Colney is nineteen, from Aizawl, a midfielder at the Cuttack residential academy built for underprivileged girls, and was handed her senior India debut against Russia this month; her portrait is the campaign’s most-liked. Shubhangi Singh, who captained the India U-20 side that ended a twenty-year wait for a place at the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup, is the face of the series’ signature frame, a crystal ball held against the Gokulam red.
Why now
The shoot is the first public work of a fifteen-year deal. On 22 September Capri Sports signed a commercial and marketing agreement with the AIFF for the top two tiers of women’s club football, the IWL and IWL 2; the bid was reported at ₹150 crore, and the AIFF has not disclosed terms. On 21 October Lxme, a women’s investing platform, came in as title sponsor of both leagues. Capri Sports also owns UP Warriorz in the WPL, which is the model: a league packaged, sponsored and photographed before a ball is kicked.
The ball is kicked soon. Kolkata stages an AFC Women’s Champions League group from 1 to 7 November, the first time the competition comes to India, with East Bengal in it. The Lxme IWL’s tenth season opens on 13 November: eight clubs, 56 matches across Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bengaluru, through to 23 January.
A photoshoot is not a season. The test starts on 13 November.
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Image rights and credits. All photographs © Ridhika Mehra for the Lxme Indian Women’s League and Capri Sports, from the ‘Built to Shine’ campaign (29 October 2026). Concept and IP: Capri Sports. Styling: Aakruti Sejpal with her style team. Jewellery: Roopa Vohra Fine Jewellery, Goenka India, Origem India, 7th Avenue Jewellery, Valliyan and Amora Jewels India. The images are reproduced here for editorial coverage, as published by @iwlofficial; all rights remain with their owners and Indian Sports Journal makes no claim to them. The final slide’s photograph was extended at its top and left edges by ISJ to show the ball and the hand in full.
Sourcing. Campaign, credits and player posts: @iwlofficial, 29–30 October 2026. Capri Sports–AIFF agreement and the reported bid: AIFF, Capri Sports, Adgully, Indiatimes and Soccermonk (22 September 2026). Lxme title sponsorship: Lxme IWL and Capri Sports (21 October 2026). Season dates, fixtures and the AFC Women’s Champions League group: AIFF and the AFC. Player backgrounds: AIFF, club releases and ISJ’s reporting. Design and words: Indian Sports Journal.