BCCI Title Sponsor: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has not yet found a new title sponsor for the Indian cricket team. More than two weeks have passed since the last date for submission of tender, but the board has not yet approved the name of any company. According to the report, discussions are going on with potential companies regarding sponsorship and the picture may become clear in the coming days. This is the first time this is happening. This is happening with the world’s largest cricket board. This is quite shocking.
BCCI has its eyes on many big brands. In the report, the names of Google Gemini, SBI Life, IDFC First Bank and Spinny have emerged as possible contenders. However, this time the board has kept companies from certain sectors out of the race to become title sponsors. Companies related to tyres, paint and sports apparel cannot bid. Apart from this, companies related to tobacco, liquor, fantasy gaming and gambling are also banned as before.
These companies did not get permission to bid
According to BCCI’s tender document, companies that manufacture, sell or distribute tyres, tubes and flaps cannot participate in this process. The same rule is applicable to their group companies also. Companies manufacturing athleisure, performance wear, sports merchandise and sports equipment have also been excluded. Businesses related to paint, waterproofing and wallpaper are also included in this list. That means brands like MRF, CEAT, Berger Paints, JSW Paints, Nike, Puma and Decathlon cannot bid this time.
Rules changed due to existing sponsors?
The reason behind these restrictions is believed to be to protect the interests of the existing sponsors of BCCI. Apollo Tires is the main jersey sponsor of the Indian team, Adidas is the kit sponsor of the team and Asian Paints is the associate partner of BCCI. However, no information has come to light as to whether any of these excluded companies had shown interest in bidding. BCCI expects around 35 chargeable matches during the sponsorship period, but the final number will depend on the team’s schedule.