BCCI invites tender for team sponsorship

With its deal with Sahara coming to an end next month, the BCCI on Monday invited bids from companies through a tender notice for sponsoring four Indian squads, including the much sought-after men's outfit.

The tender notice, issued by BCCI secretary N Srinivasan, called for firms to bid for sponsorship of the men's, women's, India A and India under 19 teams, indicating the documents would be available from May 24 for a non-refundable payment of Rs 5 lakh.

It said all bidders need to fulfill the eligibility criteria set up by the Board as well as other requirements as mentioned in the bid document.

Submission of the bids also has to be done as per conditions outlined, the Board also reserved its rights "to cancel or amend the entire bidding process at any stage and to reject any and/or all bids without providing any reasons, including calling for a re-tender."

BCCI's deal with existing sponsors Sahara is set to come to a close next month.

Sahara, which has supported the Indian team for several years as its main sponsor, recently bid successfully for the new Pune IPL franchise for a staggering Rs 1700 crore.

Sahara will review its sponsorship to the Indian cricket team, Group chief Subroto Roy had said after winning the IPL franchise bid on March 23.

Sahara had bagged the sponsorship for the Indian cricket team for Rs 400 crore for a four-year period ending December 2009, and had agreed to continue for six more months as BCCI could not find any sponsors.

"No, it will not. Only thing we will see is our continuation of sponsorship to the Indian cricket team. We will sit on that and we will discuss on that. But on all other sports nothing will be affected," Roy had said on the impact of the Group's aggressive bidding to acquire the IPL's Pune franchise.

Asserting that the Group, which is also sponsoring the Indian hockey team, would seriously consider (limiting) exposure to the BCCI and the women's cricket, he said then that the Group "will take a conscious decision about it."