Globosport, the sports management division of Mahesh Bhupathi's company Globo Media Solutions, have sealed a tie-up with athletes1, the world's leading company for playing contracts in cricket.
Under the terms of the agreement, Globosport and athletes1 will work together to identify playing opportunities for players from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with a focus on county cricket.
athletes1, which also has ties in football, rugby and boxing works with a number of international cricketers including Mark Butcher, Michael Bevan and Lance Klusener.
"We set up the playing contracts division because there was a tremendous demand among cricketers in the subcontinent to find playing opportunities, whether club or county, during the off-season. However, there was no professional company in the subcontinent to guide the cricketers and help them find counties and clubs that meet their needs. The association with athletes1 allows us to ensure that the players' interests are well protected and that they have access to the best playing contracts company in the world of cricket," said Media Solutions Managing Director Mahesh Bhupathi.
In a statement from London, Head - Legal & Management Division of athletes1 David Ligertwood said, "Cricketers from the Indian subcontinent are in high demand because of their natural flair as well as their ability to draw spectators. However, counties and cricketers have had to struggle with shadowy, informal networks to contact each other. This will finally change with the agreement between Globosport and athletes1. Counties in the UK know that they can contact athletes1 to access any player in the subcontinent while cricketers in Indian subcontinent know that they finally have a professional company in Globosport to help fulfil their playing needs."
Talent and New Initiatives vice-president Anirban Das Blah said Globosport's playing contracts division will function independently of its endorsement and event management businesses. "The idea is to help players in terms of cricket, and this effort is not restricted only to cricketers that we represent, but to all cricketers in the sub-continent.
"We are already in advanced negotiations with four current international cricketers, and will be announcing our first county deal for one of them, within the next two days."
Globosport's new playing contracts division is also planning to announce a similar tie-up in hockey within the next month.