Cricket in India is no less than a religion. And the gentleman’s game has grown from strength to strength in the last four to five decades.
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Once the Indian cricket team was underdogs in international cricket. But since the 1983 World Cup win, the team’s stars have been on the rise, changing the face of Indian cricket.
Once the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) paid broadcasters to show the teams matches. But now big corporates line up to have their logo printed on the Indian team’s jersey.
Over the years, we have seen the Indian cricket team’s jersey turning into a hot advertising property for companies. So many brands have shelled handsome money to get their logos on India’s jersey by securing sponsorship rights.
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In this article, we’ll list the brands and companies that have sponsored the Indian Cricket Team till now.
1. ITC Limited (Wills and ITC Hotels): 1993-2001
Almost a decade after India’s 1983 World Cup triumph, Indian cricket saw a breakthrough moment. For the first time, BCCI secured a team sponsorship deal by bringing ITC Limited on board.
Headquartered in Kolkata, ITC Limited sponsored the Indian team for nine years. The partnership ran from June 1993 until May 2001, with the company shelling out INR 35 lakh per Test and INR 32 lakh per ODI.
The sponsorship deal would have run further, but a certain regulation from the Indian government over the cigarettes-to-hotels conglomerate saw the partnership end in May 2001. Nevertheless, the first sponsorship opened the doors to newer possibilities in Indian cricket.
2. Sahara India: 2001-2013
After ITC Limited exited the sponsorship, the Sahara India Group struck a massive deal with the BCCI. When both parties signed the sponsorship deal in June 2001, it was the biggest in international cricket.
The deal ran for more than 12 years, making it the longest team sponsorship deal in Indian cricket. The BCCI received a whopping INR 3.34 crore for every international match played by India as per their renewed contract in 2010.
Sahara and the Indian cricket team had become pretty synonymous with each other as the deal spanned 12 years. The Sahara India Group also owned the Pune Warriors India franchise in the IPL for three seasons (2011-13).
But due to some differences with the board, the group decided to revoke the sponsorship as well as IPL team ownership in December 2013.
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3. Star India: 2014-2017
Following Sahara India Group’s decision to withdraw Team India’s sponsorship, the BCCI started looking for new sponsors. The board invited tenders from interested parties, with seven submitting the bid offer.
Then the BCCI shortlisted two offers, with one of them being from Star India. The Indian Television Network company bagged a four-year sponsorship deal.
Star India paid INR 1.92 crore for every bilateral match, while they pegged INR 61 lakh for matches played in the ICC events. The media company has been a top cricket broadcaster in the country, having telecasted and live-streamed India’s matches on its network.
The deal between the BCCI and Star India ran from January 2014 till March 2017. After the conclusion of the contract, Star India decided not to extend the deal further.
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4. Oppo Mobiles India: 2017-2019
The BCCI roped in Oppo Mobiles as the team sponsor in April 2017. The Chinese smartphone brand won a five-year deal for INR 1079 crore.
Interestingly, Oppo outbid its sister smartphone manufacturing company, Vivo, which put in a bid of INR 768 crore. As per Oppo’s bid, India’s per-match sponsor amount more than doubled.
The mobile manufacturing company agreed to pay INR 4.61 crore for each bilateral game and INR 1.51 crore for each ICC event match. It was a groundbreaking deal in Indian cricket, though it lasted for only two years.
In July 2019, Oppo Mobiles India decided to exit the partnership, citing the deal as unsustainable for them.
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5. Byju’s: 2019-2023
As Oppo decided to end the deal, they transferred Team India’s jersey sponsorship rights to Byju’s. The Indian ed-tech company took over the sponsorship at the same price starting from September 2019.
Then the BCCI and Byju’s decided to renew the deal for another year in March 2022. The association lasted for three and a half years, with the ed-tech company ending the deal in March 2023.
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6. Dream11: 2023-Present
After Byju’s terminated their contract, Dream11 has been serving as the Indian cricket team’s sponsor since July 2023. The BCCI inked a three-year deal with the fantasy sports platform, which runs till March 2026.
But the BCCI won’t receive a hefty fee under the new agreement, with Dream11 coming on board for the base price set by the board. The fantasy sports platform will play INR 3 crore for each bilateral match and INR 1 crore for an ICC tournament game.
This works out to be a 358-crore deal, as India will feature in 158 international matches during the sponsorship period.
