The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is continuing its search for a title sponsor more than two weeks after the initial bidding deadline, with Google Gemini, SBI Life, IDFC First Bank and Spinny among the potential partners in discussions, according to a report by Cricbuzz journalist Vijay Tagore.
The negotiations are taking place within a rights process that significantly limits the range of sectors able to participate. In addition to tobacco, liquor, fantasy gaming and gambling, businesses operating across tyres, paints and sports apparel are excluded from bidding for the title sponsorship.
Title rights remain unresolved after initial bidding process
The BCCI had set August 13 as the deadline for submissions but did not conclude an agreement during that stage of the process.
As previously reported by cricexec, the title sponsorship carries a reserve price of ₹4.85 crore (approx. US$508K) per chargeable match, up from the ₹4.2 crore (approx. US$440K) per-match rate attached to IDFC First Bank’s previous agreement. The new rights period is expected to continue through March 31, 2028.
For tender purposes, the BCCI currently anticipates approximately 35 chargeable internationals across the cycle, subject to its final schedule. The relevant inventory consists of international matches involving the India Senior Men’s National Team, while domestic fixtures, ACC and ICC events, and matches involving the India Senior Women’s National Team fall outside the definition.
Based on the reserve price and anticipated inventory, approximately 35 qualifying matches would give the package a potential base value of around ₹170 crore (approx. US$18M).
Existing sponsorships shape title-rights eligibility
The category boundaries operate alongside the BCCI’s existing sponsorship portfolio. Apollo Tyres is the Indian team’s lead jersey sponsor, Adidas holds the team’s kit sponsorship rights and Asian Paints is a BCCI Associate Partner.
Those relationships coincide with restrictions covering the respective commercial sectors. The BCCI stated in the ITT: “Bidders operating/ engaged directly or indirectly in the tyres, tubes and flaps industry. For the avoidance of doubt, a Bidder, including any of its Group Companies, engaged in or operating in the business of manufacturing, marketing, distributing or selling tyres, tubes and flaps, shall not be permitted to submit a Bid.”
The eligibility rules therefore prevent tyre companies from competing for the title rights during this cycle. MRF and CEAT are among the businesses that fall within that sector, although there is no information indicating that either company had expressed an intention to bid.
The restrictions extend beyond the tyre industry. The tender states: “Bidders operating/ engaged directly or indirectly in athleisure wear, performance wear, and sports merchandise and equipment. (f) Bidders operating/ engaged directly or indirectly in paints, waterproofing and wallpapers are not permitted to submit a Bid.”
Across those sectors, the eligibility conditions would also prevent companies including Nike, Berger Paints, Puma, JSW Paints and Decathlon from participating. There is no indication that any of those businesses had sought the sponsorship rights; their relevance arises from the categories covered by the tender restrictions.
Financial criteria further define bidder pool
Commercial category is not the only qualification prospective partners must satisfy. The tender also establishes minimum financial standards for companies seeking the rights.
A bidder must have either average turnover of at least ₹100 crore (approx. US$11M) across its last three audited financial years or average net worth of at least ₹100 crore over the same period.
Participation is also restricted by corporate structure. The BCCI will not accept bids from individuals, unincorporated entities, consortia, joint ventures or joint bidders, leaving eligible corporate entities to pursue the sponsorship.
These requirements establish an additional threshold for prospective partners as the title-rights process continues beyond its original submission stage.
New cycle combines smaller inventory with wider sponsorship process
The expected inventory is smaller than under the previous title sponsorship agreement. IDFC First Bank’s three-year deal covered 55 internationals, compared with approximately 35 chargeable matches anticipated for the new rights period.
The title property is also being marketed within a broader sponsorship cycle. The BCCI has separately taken Associate Partner Rights to market, providing another commercial opportunity alongside the primary title package.
Category exclusivity connects the two properties. The eventual Associate Partner cannot operate in the same business sector as the title sponsor, making the category of the successful title partner relevant to the eventual composition of the BCCI’s wider sponsorship portfolio.
The primary title rights remain to be finalised, with the BCCI now continuing its negotiations beyond the initial bidding window as it works to complete the new sponsorship cycle.
