How Ratan Tata help throw out Chinese company from India cricket, spent over Rs 25000000000 for…
Late Indian industrialist Ratan Tata had a long association with Indian cricket. He nurtured plenty of top Indian cricketers from Yuvraj Singh to Harbhajan Singh to current Indian chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar through his various Tata Group companies. Ratan Tata’s companies were also involved in sponsoring various tournaments organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
No wonder that the BCCI were one of the first ones to send condolence on social media after Ratan Tata passed away at the age of 86 at the Breach Candy Hospital on Wednesday. Ratan Tata was given his last rites with full state honours in Mumbai on Thursday.
The BCCI expresses its deepest sorrow and joins the nation in mourning the passing of Shri Ratan Tata ji. His invaluable contributions across diverse fields have been instrumental in shaping India’s growth and success story.
His extraordinary legacy, founded on the principles of… pic.twitter.com/wjNvDKNPIX
— BCCI (@BCCI) October 10, 2024
Ratan Tata’s group of companies first entered into cricket sponsorship with the ‘Titan Cup’ in 1996. It was a three-nation ODI series featuring hosts India, Australia and South Africa. India won the Titan Cup with a win over South Africa in the final.
However, the Tata Group distanced itself from cricket when the match-fixing controversy broke back in the 2000s. For the next couple of decades, Tata decided to stay away from cricket even as his rival companies like Reliance and GMR group bought franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which was launched in 2007.
Ratan Tata finally replaced Chinese company as sponsors
But Ratan Tata and the Tata group were back with a bang when Indian cricket needed them the most during the COVID-19 pandemic times. The BCCI had severed ties with IPL title sponsors Vivo – a Chinese company – as political ties soured between India and China in 2020.
Vivo had originally bagged the title sponsorship for 2018 to 2022 for Rs 2,199 crores (US $341 million approx. at the time), but for the 2020 season, it was replaced by Dream 11, before Vivo returned for the 2021 season.
The Tata Group replace Vivo as title sponsors of the IPL from 2022 onwards, after paying Rs 670 crores for the two-year rights period. Simultaneously, they also became the title sponsors for the newly-launched Women’s Premier League (WPL).
The Tata Group then extended its title sponsorship of the IPL for another five years, from 2024 to 2028, for Rs 2,500 crore (US$301 million approx.), making it the ‘highest-ever sponsorship amount in the history of the league’, a BCCI statement read earlier this year.
“The collaboration with TATA Group for the title sponsorship of IPL 2024-28 is a significant milestone in IPL’s journey,” IPL chairman Arun Singh Dhumal said. “The record-breaking sum of Rs 2.500 crore by TATA Group is a testament to the immense value and appeal that the IPL holds in the world of sports.”
Tata’s bid for the next five years was a 13.7 per cent jump over what Chinese phone company Vivo had paid for 2018-22. “This collaboration embodies the spirit of growth, innovation, and a mutual dedication to excellence,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah had said. “The unprecedented financial commitment reflects the immense scale and global impact of the IPL on the international sports stage.”