Chennai: Come new year, the Indian cricket team will sport a new logo on their jerseys as Star India Pvt Ltd bagged the sponsorship rights for a period of three years, from January 1, 2014 to March 31, 2017.
The new deal signals an end of a 12-year partnership between BCCI and Sahara, the existing sponsor.
Seven companies had purchased the tender documents, but only two bids (Star and Sahara) were shortlisted, but the bid of Sahara, who has been locked in bitter legal dispute with the BCCI, was declared ineligible.
“Rights include the right to be called the 'Official team sponsor' and to display a commercial logo on cial logo the team clothing of the senior m e n's team, the U19 men's team, th team, the men's 'A' team and the women's team,“ said BCCI Secretary Sanjay Patel Patel said Star would also be the holder of the broadcast, internet and mobile rights of cricket in India until March 2018. The release did not specify the amount, but it is learnt that Star will shell out '1.92 crore per match organised by the Board. Sahara, however, claimed that they were disqualified because of the dispute with the Board regarding the IPL franchise and the entire bidding process was “stage-managed“.
“If there is a dispute why did they not disqualify us from the very beginning. It's very clear that the entire thing was a stage-managed show,“ Sahara's corporate communications head Abhijit Sarkar was quoted as saying.
Reports suggest that Sahara had bid '2.35 crore per BCCI match and '91 lakh for ICC games. The total amount bid by them stood at '252 crore in contrast to '203 crore bid by Star.
