IDFC, First Bank has secured the title rights for the home international series of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). It has acquired the rights for Rs 4.2 crore per international game, reflecting an increase of over 60 lakhs compared to the previous value of Rs 3.6 crore. The base price for the bidding was set at Rs 2.4 crore. According to a Cricbuzz report, IDFC outbid competition from Sony Sports, the sports broadcaster, which was venturing into title sponsorship realm for the first time. There were no other bidders.
IDFC will take over the title sponsor rights from Mastercard, which had an agreement of Rs 3.8 crore per game. In September last year, BCCI announced that Mastercard acquired title sponsorship rights for all BCCI international and domestic matches. IDFC has signed a three-year deal with the BCCI. The contract will come into effect next month with the three-match ODI series against Australia. The contract is scheduled to end in August 2026. IDFC has won the rights for a total of 56 matches and the BCCI is set to earn almost Rs 1000 crore from the deal. Team India will be in action soon when they go to Sri Lanka for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The continental championship is scheduled to be played from August 30 to September 17 in Sri Lanka and Pakistan. A total of six teams are participating in the competition – Sri Lanka, Pakistan India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal.
