Mastercard has signed as the title rights sponsor for Indian cricket, ahead of a packed home season with a full schedule of domestic and international cricket
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Mastercard comes on board as BCCI’s new title sponsor
- Mastercard has replaced Paytm, which had its contract until 2024
- India has a busy home season with international and domestic matches
On Monday, September 5, the Board of Control for Cricket in India stated that Mastercard would take over as the new owner of the title rights, replacing Paytm. The seven-year partnership between the digital payments company and the Indian cricket board has come to an end.
Notably, Paytm reportedly asked the BCCI to reallocate its sponsorship, which was valid until the completion of the 2024 season, to Mastercard, whose brand ambassador for the past four years has been former India captain MS Dhoni.
Mastercard
According to a statement from the BCCI, Mastercard will serve as the title sponsor for all international matches (both men’s and women’s) played on home ground, domestic cricket tournaments like the Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Ranji Trophy, as well as all Under 19 and Under 23 cricket matches played in India.
Payment Innovation and Technology has been associated with some prestigious sporting events like The UEFA Champions League, The Australian open, and the French Open.
The BCCI values Mastercard’s support in advancing Indian cricket, according to the president of the Indian Cricket Board, who was speaking about the association on Monday.
President of BCCI, Sourav Ganguly said that the BCCI is pleased to have payment innovation and technology as the home cricket title sponsor for the 2022–23 season. The BCCI’s domestic leagues are essential in addition to the international home series since they provide a foundation for developing a competitive Indian team at the international level. This sport is more than just a passion for us; it’s a way of life, and we look forward to bringing the fans some cutting-edge experiences through this partnership and generating value for Mastercard through this engagement.
The partnership with Mastercard, according to BCCI secretary Jay Shah, will be beneficial given the upcoming domestic season and the busy home schedule.
MS Dhoni, a former captain of India, expressed his delight at Mastercard’s partnership with the BCCI.
Dhoni said his life has been devoted to cricket, which has given him everything. He overjoyed that payment innovation and technology will be the official sponsor of all the BCCI home cricket matches, especially the domestic, junior, and women’s cricket. The junior and Ranji players of today will represent the nation tomorrow and continue to represent the pride of 1.3 billion Indians.
India, which is currently competing in the Asia Cup 2022, will face South Africa and Australia in the limited-overs series in September and October ahead to the T20 World Cup in Australia.
