Irrespective of the administration tangles that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) finds itself as far as the implementation of the Lodha Committee report is concerned, the world's richest cricket board only got richer on Tuesday.
Oppo mobile manufacturer emerged as the highest bidder for the Team India sponsor as the BCCI raked in an all-time figures. The deal was struck as India battled it out against Australia for a series-levelling 75-run win in the second Test in Bangalore.
Oppo has paid Rs 1079 crore for a five-year deal, outbidding Vivo mobiles' Rs 768 crore bid.
Oppo will pay Rs 4.61 crore per bilateral match and Rs 1.56 crore for an ICC event match. Sahara was the previous highest bidder for Team India sponsorship with Rs 3.34 crore per match.
STAR India paid Rs 1.92 crore
per bilateral match and Rs 61 lakh for an ICC match.
Oppo takes over from April 1
Oppo's logo will don the Team India (senior, junior and women's teams) jersey and training gears from April 1. The current India team sponsorship deal with Star India will end in March 31.
"Nine companies bought the tender document, but only two companies put in their bids today. The board's legal arm and auditors evaluated the bids received. It is a five-time increase from the previous rights holder," said BCCI chief executive Rahul Johri told reporters.
The bidding process took place under Supreme Court- appointed Committee of Adminsitrators (COA). "It was carried out in a very transparent manner and we are very satisfied with the outcome," said Diana Edulji, who is part of the four-member COA panel.