By Venkata Krishna B
Apollo Tyres was on Tuesday named as the lead sponsor of India’s men’s and women’s cricket teams after the BCCI announced a record `579 crore three-year deal with the company.
After the government passed the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill 2025 in August, Dream11 had exited its sponsorship deal, forcing the BCCI to look for a replacement. As per the new deal, Apollo Tyres will pay 4.5 crore per game, higher than what Dream11 paid (4 crore).
Record deal
When the BCCI floated the tenders earlier this month, there were doubts about whether it would be able to receive a sum in the vicinity of what Dream11 was paying. And despite BCCI making it clear that it won’t entertain bids from companies in the gaming, betting, crypto, tobacco, sportswear, and non-alcoholic cold beverages sectors, it received plenty of interest, which proved that the Indian cricket team remains the most popular brand that top corporate houses want to partner.
Santosh N, managing partner of D&P Advisory, an independent valuation company which tracks brand IPL, among others, said the restrictions put in place by BCCI as to who could bid would have played a big role.
“There is no shortage when it comes to Indian corporations. There are conglomerates like the Tatas and the Birlas. And new stand-offs and plenty of large advertisers would obviously have been eyeing these rights every time. It is not that Apollo wasn’t interested earlier. It’s just that maybe they did not participate earlier with the knowledge that there are others who were ready to burn more cash. They would have known they wouldn’t be the highest bidder. Now, the list became smaller and the bidders became smaller. Many would have thought they had a decent chance because many competitors were out of the picture,” Santosh said.
Before Dream11, the other lead sponsors that the BCCI had were Sahara, Star, Oppo and Byju’s. With the exception of Star, which had the deal between January 2014 and March 2017, the BCCI had to look for alternatives midway through the deal for various reasons. From geopolitical tensions to firms unable to pay the agreed sum, BCCI had to keep searching for a new sponsor. Having a brand like Apollo Tyres also brings with it stability and face value that the BCCI deems fit.
For its lead sponsorship deal, apart from Apollo Tyres,which placed a bid of 579.06 crore, the second-highest bid came from Australian software company Canva (554.48 crore; 4.28 cr per game). JK Cement was way behind at 3.7 crore per game which was just marginally higher than the BCCI’s starting bid of 3.5 crore.
Trusted partner
India’s men and women’s teams, playing the Asia Cup and a bilateral home series against Australia, respectively, are currently without a lead sponsor. As part of the new deal, Apollo Tyres will pay 4.5 crore for all international fixtures outside ICC tournaments. Since the lead sponsor’s name can’t be sported on the front of the jersey in ICC tournaments (it will find space only on the leading arm of a player), the value drops to 1.72 crore for those fixtures.
In the three-year cycle, the men’s team is scheduled to play a T20 World Cup and a 50-over World Cup. The women’s team has a 50-over World Cup around the corner at home and a T20 World Cup next year. The sponsorship deal also includes BCCI’s A and Under-19 teams.
“The arrival of Apollo Tyres as our new sponsor is a testament to the hard work and consistent performance of our teams. We are excited about this being Apollo’s first major sponsorship in Indian cricket, which speaks volumes about the sport’s unparalleled reach and influence. This is more than a commercial agreement; it’s a partnership between two institutions that have earned the trust and respect of millions,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said.
The author is a Senior Assistant Editor in The Indian Express.