BCCI Hikes Title Sponsorship Base Price Over 15% to ₹4.9 Cr Per Match

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has increased the reserve price for its title sponsorship rights by more than 15% to ₹4.9 crore per match, up from ₹4.2 crore paid by the incumbent sponsor, according to a report by The Economic Times (ET).

The board has also raised the base price for associate partner rights to ₹95 lakh per match, compared with ₹82 lakh in the previous cycle, the report said.

The new title sponsorship cycle will run until March 2028 and is expected to cover around 35 international matches, with the possibility of a few additional fixtures.

Bidding Process Begins for New Cycle

According to the report, the base price for the title sponsorship rights works out to around ₹169.8 crore for the expected 35 matches. In comparison, IDFC First Bank paid ₹235.2 crore during the previous cycle, which covered 56 matches.

The base price for each associate partner slot has been fixed at ₹33.3 crore. SBI Life, Campa Cola and Atomberg were the associate sponsors during the previous rights cycle.

The BCCI has invited bids for the title sponsorship rights, with August 13 set as the deadline for submissions. Quotations for associate partner rights will be accepted until August 25, the report added.

Shorter Cycle to Align Commercial Deals

The publication said the shorter sponsorship cycle has been designed to align with several of BCCI's key commercial agreements, including those with Adidas and Apollo Tyres, which are scheduled for renewal in March 2028.

Synchronising these commercial rights is expected to help the cricket board market and sell multiple sponsorship properties together during the next renewal cycle.

According to ET, the bidding process comes at a time when the commercial appeal of bilateral cricket—particularly Test matches and One-Day Internationals—is being closely watched as advertisers increasingly favour the T20 format.

Experts Flag Market Challenges

A sports marketing expert told the publication that the reserve price for the title sponsorship rights appears aggressive given the current market sentiment, adding that bilateral cricket has struggled to attract strong television viewership.

The report also quoted a media planning expert as saying that competition for the previous title sponsorship rights was limited, with IDFC First Bank emerging as the only bidder. The expert added that stronger competition among large brands is key to driving higher valuations for sponsorship properties.

According to WPP Media's Sporting Nation 2025 report, sports sponsorship spending in India rose 7% year-on-year (YoY) to ₹7,942 crore in 2025. Cricket accounted for 89% of the sponsorship market, up from 85% a year earlier, reflecting the sport's continued dominance despite changes in advertiser preferences.