Sahara’s contract ends after the Lanka series

New Delhi, Nov. 29: The first major task newly elected cricket board boss Sharad Pawar has on hand is select a sponsor for the Indian team.

Current sponsor Sahara’s contract ends tomorrow, but has been extended until the Test series with Sri Lanka gets over.

Pawar’s team has some time before it puts its mind to sponsorship and the first step towards that will be taken when it forms the marketing committee, expected tomorrow.

“It will be an open process? we will look into proper and suitable sponsors for the team at the earliest,” Pawar said after being elected president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India in Calcutta.

Companies that have lined up to bid for the sponsorship right for 2005-08 are getting restive.

Sahara paid Rs 100 crore for three years and holds the first right of refusal. It means if some other bidder offers a higher amount than it does, Sahara will be given the opportunity to match it.

Knowing Sahara’s appetite for sports sponsorship, particularly cricket, it is difficult to see it backing off.

Corporate sources said domestic two-wheeler maker Hero Honda might emerge as a major contender. A multinational soft drinks company and a Delhi-based mobile phone service operator are also believed to be in the fray.

Brand management experts see a sharp rise in the value of the deal from the existing one with Sahara. “I would not be surprised if BCCI manages to sign a deal of a few hundred crores,” said the manager of a leading brand.

Hero Honda sources admitted that the company would bid for the sponsorship. “We will definitely like to bid once the newly formed marketing committee opens the bidding process. Nearly two months back, the company also wrote a letter of intention to the board,” a company official said.

Despite controversies, brands continue to depend on the cricket team, which has a packed schedule starting with the three-Test Lanka series.

The team then travels to Pakistan for three Tests and five one-dayers, followed by a home series against England. Early summer, it will travel to West Indies for Tests and one-dayers.

Refusing to indicate how much Hero Honda is willing to pay, sources said: “Let the time come, we will try our best.”

Sahara has already expressed its intention to extend the contract for the next three years.

There is speculation that Sahara is willing to fork out anything between Rs 200 crore and 300 crore to win the contract, which will cover the period India participates in the World Cup in West Indies in 2007.