With the Board of Control for Cricket in India looking to go ahead without any jersey sponsors, Rohit Sharma and Co’s playing gear at the World Test Championship final could feel like a throwback in time.
Many of the players who have begun training in the UK can be seen wearing only new kit sponsors Adidas’ three stripes and the BCCI logo.
This is unusual in today’s world where commercial slot maximization is the norm. The BCCI’s contract with Byju’s for jersey sponsorship expired in March after the ed-tech giant requested a termination of the contract, which was supposed to run until November, due to adverse market conditions.
BCCI officials were expected to issue tenders inviting interested parties for a long-term association, but have not done so due to a lack of a positive response in offline talks. Short-term association negotiations were also on the table, but it was decided not to proceed.
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“Rather than going for low-key deals, it would only be fitting that Indian cricket engages with prestigious and long-term partners,” a BCCI official said.
The previous agreement paid the BCCI more than 1.5 crore per ICC match and 4.6 crore per bilateral international match. Although the importance of ICC events has grown over time, a few crores for a single match is a drop in the ocean for the cash-rich BCCI. They’re willing to take the hit.
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Their recent five-year contract with Adidas, as well as the now-busy ICC calendar, which includes a white-ball world event every year, gives the board hope that they will find the right partners in time for the World Cup in October-November.
However, seeing Indian cricketers in uncluttered outfits would be a rare sight.
For the WTC final whites, the ICC allows commercial slots only on the leading and non-leading arms. Leading franchises in the IPL, such as the Mumbai Indians, earn more than 100 crore per season from all sponsorship slots.