Star India not to bid for team India’s jersey sponsorship

Sports Desk: Team India's jersey sponsor Star has decided against bidding for new sponsorship deal, citing 'lack of clarity' as the reason.

This is primarily due to the ongoing logjam between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and International Cricket Council (ICC) over policy changes. Star TV, meanwhile, is not looking to be a part of this mess as it seeks for some kind of clarity and focus going forward.

“Given all the volatility, we are indeed concerned about the health of cricket in the days ahead. No one seems to be talking about making cricket bigger and more popular. We have been very proud that our name is carried on the jersey of Team India. But given all the uncertainties, we have decided not to bid for it again. The commitments being asked for are too onerous without any clarity,” said Star India CEO Uday Shankar.

He added, “For us, the problem is, right now we do not see a consensual leadership in cricket. The power of cricket came from the fact that everybody was aligned. The global cricket leadership was generally aligned to drive it forward. The alignment seems to have broken down. Lack of clarity ­both, in ICC as well as BCCI is our biggest concern right now. We have nothing to do with the politics of cricket. Currently we have invested in cricket more than any other media company has ever done. Our investments in the game are to the tune of a few billion dollars. And hence the business risk for us is very high.”

Stressing that since there is no clarity on the ‘Future Tours Program’ as well, the CEO said that Star will have to be very careful before making any further commitments.

As far as Star India's existing contract with the BCCI is concerned, they are believed to be paying around Rs 2 crore per match for bilateral series and Rs 60 lakh per game for International Cricket Council (ICC) tournaments.

Agencies

risingbd/DHAKA/Feb 28, 2017/Aminul/Augustin Sujan