The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is working quickly to locate a new sponsor for the Indian cricket team’s jerseys. They should make a choice in the next two to three weeks. Rajiv Shukla, the BCCI’s vice president, says that bids for the lucrative sponsorship agreement will close on September 16. A final decision will be made in 15 to 20 days.
The BCCI needs to find a new sponsor right away because their last deal with the online gaming company Dream11 ended early. The arrangement worth ₹358 crore a year was canceled after the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill was passed, which made it illegal for apps to let people play for real money. Because of this, Team India is playing in the Asia Cup without a sponsor’s emblem on its uniforms, which is not something that happens often in modern cricket.
Shukla said that the new bidding process makes it clear that organizations who deal with real-money gaming, betting, cryptocurrencies, or alcohol goods cannot bid. He also talked about other recent events, such the rise in GST on IPL tickets. He said that the increased 40% GST slab on IPL tickets might affect regular fans, but he is still hoping that the matches will continue to draw big numbers.
The BCCI official also answered charges that the board gets tax breaks by saying, “BCCI pays income tax like a business.” It also pays the Goods and Services Tax (GST). There are no exceptions for us. We pay taxes in the thousands of crores.
Shukla remarked that the board is working hard to expand women’s cricket by giving players equal pay and setting up events. He said that the biggest problem is still getting people to fill stadiums for women’s matches, and he asked supporters to support the women’s game.