Paytm grabs BCCI's title sponsorship rights at home

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Indian e-commerce firm One 97 Communications Pvt. Ltd. (Paytm) on Thursday acquired the sponsorship rights for the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) international and domestic matches at home for four years.

The winning bid was at a price of Rs.203.28 crore to be paid over a four-year term. The bid was opened in the BCCI marketing committee meeting held here.

"We are elated to have Paytm as our homes series title sponsors. They are one of the new generation companies and we are delighted to partner with them. Having them for next four years gives the stability and continuity to Indian cricket," BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said.

"With nearly 84 matches scheduled over the next four years with all major countries playing in India, we are hopeful that Paytm will be able to build a strong and strategic association with cricket. We are also happy that the realisation has increased by 20 percent. It augurs well for Indian cricket. I am thankful to Paytm for their interest and faith in Indian cricket and welcome them on board."

Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma said: "Cricket is the dream sport for us in India. Cricket epitomises the Paytm values of passion, hard work and team effort. We are very happy to partner with the BCCI and cheer for Indian cricket with millions of fans.

"Over the next four years, we will continue to invest strongly in cricket and other sports. As a growing brand which has big plans for a billion strong Indians, there is no better platform than cricket in India."

India will host South Africa later this year which will be the start of the international season association with Paytm.

Mobile phone manufacturer Micromax Informatics Ltd. had last year bagged the title sponsorship rights for all of BCCI's international and domestic tournaments to be played in India for the 2014-15 season for a fee of Rs.18.01 crore.