Apollo Tyres set to become Team India’s new jersey sponsor: BCCI official

Apollo Tyres has been locked in as the new jersey sponsor of the Indian cricket team, a senior BCCI official confirmed to PTI.

Apollo Tyres reportedly will be paying almost Rs 4.5 crore per game, an increase from the Rs 4 crore that former sponsors Dream11 were contributing. According to media reports, Canva and JK Tyre were the other two bidders who came to the table. Birla Opus Paints also was keen to invest but did not want to take part in a bidding process.

Earlier, BCCI VP Rajiv Shukla, speaking at an event in Singapore on September 13, had said the new sponsor would be finalised within two to three weeks, with bids scheduled to close on September 16.

Read more: Curse of India’s Cricket Jersey?: Beyond the sponsorship jinx behind Sahara, BYJU’S and now Dream11

Currently, Team India is without a shirt sponsor at the ongoing Asia Cup after the board’s ₹358-crore annual deal with online gaming firm Dream11 was terminated.

The agreement was cut short following the enactment of the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, which banned real-money gaming applications.

In response, the BCCI floated a fresh tender that excludes companies dealing in real-money gaming, betting, cryptocurrency, or alcohol products.

Read more: “BCCI cannot continue sponsorship with Dream11, exploring alternatives": Secretary Devajit Saikia

“The tender process has been released and there are a lot of bidders. We will tell you after it’s finalised. I think it will be finalised in 15–20 days,” Shukla had then told reporters, adding: "There are a lot of bidders. We will tell you after it’s finalised.”

Meanwhile, Shukla also weighed in on the recent GST hike that places IPL tickets under the 40% slab, on par with casinos and race clubs. As a result, a ₹500 ticket will now cost ₹700, while a ₹2,000 ticket will rise to ₹2,800. Regular international and domestic matches, however, will continue to attract 18% GST.

“I am seeing that a lot of common people come to watch IPL. It will definitely have an impact. But I am hopeful that a lot of people will still come,” Shukla said.

Read more: BYJU exits jersey sponsorship

On criticism regarding the BCCI’s tax status, he had clarified at the event, “BCCI pays income tax like a corporate company. It also pays GST. We don’t have any exemptions.”