The BCCI has reportedly signed Muthoot Fincorp as the title sponsor for India’s next two home seasons, with the agreement coming just days before the men’s home series against the West Indies begins.
According to a Cricbuzz report, Muthoot Fincorp has secured the sponsorship rights at a base price of ₹4.85 crore per match. The report also stated that the relatively high base price resulted in limited interest from potential bidders.
The deal comes as India prepare for a packed home assignment against the West Indies, comprising three ODIs and five T20Is. The ODI series begins on September 27 at the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram, followed by matches in the second and third ODIs on September 30 and October 3. The five-match T20I series will then run from October 6 to October 17.
The sponsorship agreement will coincide with a period of considerable movement in India’s squads.
Different squads for India’s two formats
Shubman Gill will continue to captain the ODI side, with KL Rahul serving as vice-captain. Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli return to the ODI setup, while Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav provide further experience.
The squad also includes several players competing for their places in the ODI setup. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel have been selected, while Auqib Nabi and Naman Dhir have received maiden ODI call-ups.
Several regular white-ball players will be unavailable for the series because of their involvement in the Asian Games. Shreyas Iyer, Ishan Kishan, Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah are among those featuring in India’s Asian Games squad.
Iyer takes charge of T20Is
The T20I side will have a different leadership group, with Shreyas Iyer named captain and Tilak Varma appointed vice-captain.
The squad includes Abhishek Sharma, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh and Nitish Kumar Reddy. Prince Yadav and Mayank Yadav are also part of the squad. Rishabh Pant has again been left out of both white-ball squads.
With the West Indies series beginning on September 27, the new sponsorship agreement will become visible across India’s home international calendar for the next two seasons.
