Reports: BCCI finds shirt sponsor ahead of Australia tour

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has finally managed to secure a kit sponsorship for Team India ahead of the upcoming tour of Australia. India are scheduled to visit Australia for a full-fledged tour consisting of three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests. Virat Kohli & Co. will leave for Australia on November 12, two days after the ongoing IPL comes to an end.

There were apprehensions that the team might go to Australia without kit sponsors after the BCCI struggled to attract any bidder. On August 3, the Indian cricket board had come up with an advertisement inviting tenders for kit sponsor and official merchandise partner. The deadline ended on August 26 but there was no bidding from any bid, according to reports.

But just around a week before the team’s departure to Australia, the BCCI has secured the sponsorship. According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the board has signed a three-year deal with the party (MPL – Mobile Premier League) and the official announcement of the same will be made very soon. MPL is a fantasy gaming platform.

“We have signed a three-year deal. The official announcement will be made very soon,” a BCCI official said on Sunday.

Decline in the amount paid per match

While the BCCI has managed to avoid the possibility of touring Australia without sponsors, they are set to suffer financially with the new deal. The report stated that the per match figure paid will fall short of the Rs 88 lakh per game paid by previous sponsors Nike. The sports apparel giants were Team India’s shirt sponsor since 2005 but decided to end their association earlier this year.

In their advertisement, the BCCI had set a base price of R65 lakh per match, a 25 percent decrease from the previous deal. Nike’s deal also involved a royalty fee of R30 crore for merchandising rights. The base price for that had been set at R24 crore for 3 years. The new deal’s value is reportedly higher than the base price but short of the previous deal.

“Yes, Apex Council has passed the sponsorship deal for the apparel of Indian team (men, women, A and U19). However the rate per match will be ₹65 lakh per game instead of ₹88 lakh that Nike was giving,” the senior official said as quoted by News 18.

Meanwhile, India’s tour of Australia will start with the ODI series on November 27. It will be followed by the T20I series before the Test series starts on December 17. The BCCI has already announced all three squads for the tour.