Team India might soon get a new apparel sponsor as reports have suggested that the BCCI is very close to signing a deal with Adidas. Currently, the rights are with Kewal Kiran Clothing Limited, the parent brand of the company of Killer Jeans.
Killer Jeans came on board after MPL Sports transferred their rights to Kewal Kiran Clothing Limited as they pulled out of their sponsorship deal early which was from November 2020 to December 2023.
Prior to MPL coming on board, Nike had a five-year deal with BCCI during which they paid INR 370 Cr from 2016 to 2020.
However, Killer Jeans is not seen as the appropriate match as a clothing sponsor for the Indian team as the company has no relation to cricket. Hence the BCCI was keen to get it right and probably return to the days when a leading sports brand like Nike was on the Indian team’s jerseys.
As per reports, BCCI also felt like having MPL, and Killer as their apparel sponsor, it had taken away the bragging rights from the Indian cricket team in terms of having a top sports apparel brand as their stakeholder.
But with Adidas coming on board, BCCI feels that the brand value of Indian cricket will also increase, as FIFA World Cup winners Argentina, Italy, France, and Germany all have Adidas as sponsors. Top Football clubs Arsenal, Manchester United, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid also wear Adidas-manufactured kits.
The Adidas deal is expected to begin in June this year and will last till March 2028.
(News18 report)
