‘No lowkey deals’: Rohit Sharma and Co to play without jersey sponsor in WTC Final

The playing gear of the Indian team will not feature any jersey sponsor in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC Final 2023), slated to be played from June 7 at Oval. During the training sessions in the UK, many players were seen wearing jerseys adorned with Adidas’ iconic three stripes and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) logo, without any additional sponsor logos.

The BCCI’s contract with Byju’s for jersey sponsorship expired in March, as the ed-tech giant sought an early exit from the agreement due to unfavorable market conditions which was originally intended to run until November.

Initially, the BCCI officials were expected to issue tenders to invite interested parties for a long-term association. However, due to a lack of favorable responses in offline discussions, they have refrained from advertising the opportunity. Even negotiations for a short-term association were considered but ultimately abandoned.

“It would only be fitting that Indian cricket engages with prestigious and long-term partners rather than going for low-key deals,” a BCCI official said according to Hindustan Times.

BCCI optimistic about finding a sponsor before 2023 ODI World Cup

In the previous agreement, BCCI earned more than ₹1.5 crore per match and ₹4.6 crore per match for bilateral international matches. Also with the recent five-year contract with Adidas and the busy ICC calendar, which now includes a white-ball world event every year, the board is optimistic about finding suitable partners before the upcoming 2023 ODI World Cup, which will be held in India in October-November.

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For the World Test Championship (WTC) final, the ICC permits commercial slots only on the leading and non-leading arms of the players’ jerseys. In contrast, during the Indian Premier League (IPL), leading franchises like Mumbai Indians generate more than ₹100 crore in a season from various sponsorship slots.

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