 It will come out as a shock for most, but if not taken care of, it could just
be a huge problem in the making. The Indian team jersey deal with Sahara which
will soon end does not have any sponsors for the time being!
The tenders for the same had been floated by the BCCI on the 2nd of November,
with the base price of Rs.3 crore every test match, ODI or a T20I played by
the side. The deal was supposed to be for Rs.510 crores for the 170 games in
the ensuing period, making it more than 25% more than the deal that Sahara has
currently with the Indian team. Sahara had paid Rs.400 crores for the four years
leading up to November 2009.
However, with the last date to submit the tenders being 24th of November, not
a single bid has been received so far. The bidding parties had to pay a security
money of Rs.50 crores two days before the final day of the bid, but none have
been too forthcoming so far. This has meant that the marketing meeting that
had been scheduled by the BCCI to discuss the final winning bid for the 25th
of November has been postponed indefinitely for now.
There are two supposed reasons for the lack of interest in the brand called
Indian cricket. For one, with the recent recession issues, there is a good chance
that the companies have not been able to afford the base price set by the BCCI.
While the cricket board is right in their own rights to increase the expected
pay, the lull in the world economy would have pegged most of the companies back
in their ability to spend more. The budgetary constraints would have meant that
the firms have not come forward to spend the amount desired by the board.
The other reason probably is the overkill of Indian cricket. With so much cricket
being played around, there is a definite issue with the paying public not wanting
to watch or follow every international game that is being played. The likes
of Indian Premier League and the Champions League have obviously meant
that the masses have begun to enjoy the T20 cricket much more than the
more traditional formats of the game. This has reduced the brand value of the
Indian cricket, something that would have ensured that most companies would
probably prefer sponsoring the IPL or Champions League sides.
A BCCI official said, "We can't tell when the board will float the tenders
again, but the marketing committee will meet soon to take a fresh look at the
situation"
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