New Delhi: German sports apparel giant Puma could be the frontrunner in bagging the Indian cricket team’s kit sponsorship rights while rival Adidas could also enter the fray.
However, there is a chance of Nike re-biding for the deal after refusing BCCI’s scaled down bid offer from their Rs 370 crore (plus Rs 30 crore royalty), which they paid from 2016 to 2020.
Adidas too has shown interest but whether it will be bidding for the sponsorship rights is still not known. Even though some feel that the German giant could independently bid for merchandise products, which will be a separate tender.
Selling of exclusive merchandise products depends on how many exclusive stores a company has along with the point of sales (shops that sells your company’s products). While Puma has over 350 exclusive stores, Adidas has more than 450 outlets which makes these two companies the most sought after.
A senior industry insider explained the whole sponsorship issue in these turbulent economic times. “Don’t be surprised if the new rights holder pays something around Rs 200 crore for a five-year deal which will be significantly less than what Nike paid during previous term,” the industry veteran explained.
“BCCI offered Nike the first right of refusal and that too a scaled down offer which they declined. This could mean two things. Either they are not interested or may submit a bid which is even more scaled down than what BCCI offered,” he said.
