Bilateral series title sponsorships: The BCCI needs to think like an IPL franchise

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The unthinkable is finally beginning to be thought of. The BCCI’s own creation, the Indian Premier League (IPL), is busy putting its big brother — Indian bilateral cricket — out of business.

A few years down the line, if we find bilateral cricket in a financial mess, we’ll need to look back at the years 2022 and 2023 to remind ourselves when it all began.

The business is run based on the eyeballs a property can attract. Given that, we are witnessing a grave transition, where a domestic by-product is forcing international cricket to take a backseat.

Recently, the BCCI brought Dream11 on board as a jersey sponsor for Team India after a prolonged search. The fantasy XI gaming platform, sensing a great business opportunity, jumped onto the BCCI bandwagon at a time when the board desperately needed backers.

Were there any others competing with Dream11? Industry executives don’t think so, and therefore, this Dream11 “gesture” won’t be lost on the current Indian cricket ecosystem any time soon.

Title sponsor

In the run-up to the month of September, when India and Australia get ready to play a set of white-ball matches ahead of the 50-over World Cup, the search for a home broadcaster is not the only headache the Indian cricket board is dealing with.

Playing equally on their mind is the search for a title sponsor after the one-year deal with Mastercard ends. The search has been on since March — when the Aussies paid us a visit — but nobody has stepped up to the crease.

Mastercard’s deal as title sponsor for all men’s and women’s matches at home began in September 2022, after they replaced financial services firm PayTm.

PayTm had requested a pullout in 2022 after first coming on board in 2015 at Rs 2.4 crore per game, and then renewing the deal in 2019 at Rs 3.8 crore per game.

Mastercard replaced PayTm last year at the existing value of Rs 3.8 crore per game and ideally, that is the minimum amount BCCI should once again be looking at retrieving from the market going forward.

However, the lack of interest so far has forced the BCCI to bring down the price to under Rs 3 crore per game in a bid to attract sponsors. But there still haven’t been any takers.

Is IPL eating up bilateral cricket?

But how is IPL threatening the bilateral space? The answer lies in the following: 1) The IPL offers far more competitive cricket than a bilateral series; 2) The IPL’s annual calendar doesn’t keep changing, unlike the uncertainty that exists in bilateral cricket; 3) The IPL combines BCCI’s backing with the best brains in the business — the franchises.

Neither does bilateral cricket count when it comes to qualifying for the World Cup (the only exception here is the World Test championship cycle). Therefore, something as big as an India-Australia white-ball series doesn’t get the required audience and revenues.

A Rajasthan Royals versus Kolkata Knight Riders game has more to offer.

Thus, Qatar Airways puts its brand on the jersey of Royal Challengers Bangalore, an IPL franchise, but not on the jersey of the national cricket team. One of the reasons for this is that brands find Indian bilateral cricket overpriced (relative to the value it brings).

“Yes, it’s true. It is the IPL that’s killing whatever interest is left in bilateral cricket,” says a top BCCI official.

An industry executive, who knows the sponsorship space well, says: “Why would anyone want to replace Mastercard in the current circumstances unless the BCCI is offering something more than just branding?”

Something more, like? “Some engagement with men's or women’s cricket every few days a year, engagements that can help drive business. Like having an airline as a sponsor, that can also be Indian cricket’s official carrier. Basically, something more than just branding,” the industry insider added.

Indeed, the BCCI must think like an IPL franchise if it wants to keep its business going and protect the bilateral space. Because the BCCI is no longer priceless.