The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) could issue an invitation to tender for kit sponsorship rights before its deal with Nike ends in September, it has been claimed.
Nike renewed its kit sponsorship with the Indian cricket team in 2016 in an agreement that will finish on September 30.
Due to the weak retail market and negative economic outlook driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, sources told IANS, the Indian news agency, that Nike has already informed the BCCI it is not ready to commit to its current spend for the next sponsorship cycle.
One source told IANS: “Once the current contract ends, issuing [a] tender will be the way forward unless Nike decides to continue paying the same rights value and provided the board is also okay with that idea.”
In other Indian cricket sponsorship news, The Indian Premier League’s governing board has announced it will meet this week to review the IPL’s sponsorship deals with Chinese companies following a border skirmish between India and China.
The IPL’s most important sponsor is Chinese mobile phone company Vivo, which holds a five-year title deal with the league, from 2018 to 2022.
