Sahara Pulls Out From Indian Cricket Team Sponsorship

The Indian cricket team’s current and longtime sponsor Sahara India on Saturday has ended relationship with the BCCI. Sahara also withdrew themselves from the ownership of IPL Pune Warrior team.

The surprised move was taken just before the beginning of IPL 5 auction.

Sahara has been with Team India for the last 11 years, the current financial agreement with the BCCI will last till December 31, 2013.

As per the new terms, Sahara was paying BCCI Rs 3.34 crore per Test match, one-day international and Twenty20 international match.

“…after an 11-year journey as sponsors, we can say with surety that cricket has become very rich. Many rich people are there to support cricket with a strong will to do so. So, with absolute peace of mind we can exit from cricket under BCCI and are exiting with a heavy heart. It was an emotional decision for us to start this sponsorship but our emotions were never appreciated and many genuine situations were not given due consideration at all,” Sahara India said in a statement.

Sahara complained that several of their appeals were rejected by BCCI without giving any satisfying response.

“Our first entry into IPL was thwarted in 2008 when we were disqualified, owing to a small technicality on the whims and fancies of BCCI. Yet our Bid was not opened. Last year, Sahara entered the IPL on the basis of information in the media and everywhere else that 94 matches will be played among 10 teams. The bid price was accordingly calculated, but only 74 matches were played. We are still pursuing continuously with the BCCI to refund the extra bid money proportionately. It has been denied on the basis of strict rules,” The statement said.

“In the interest of the tournament, we repeatedly tried our best to pursue the BCCI for open auction of all players so that we achieve level playing field and all teams are equally balanced from the quality players’ point of view. Again, as per BCCI’s strict rules it was denied and again, we were deprived of natural justice. 12 of the best players were retained by the existing teams then,” statement added.

“We really feel such one-sided emotional relationship cannot be dragged any further. We are withdrawing from all cricket under BCCI,” the emotional statement added.

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