Having sponsors for bats adds up as a major revenue for players in professional cricket. International players get enough money from the deals and are a major part of the cricketing ecosystem. However, if you are a Bangladeshi player, nothing is majorly going your way. The widening rift between the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the BCCI is now not just based on security concerns or T20 World Cup venue demands. It is now beginning to hit players financially.
Litton Das and others in trouble
According to Telecom Asia Sport, Indian sports equipment giant SG has decided to terminate sponsorship agreements with several Bangladeshi cricketers. While an official announcement is still awaited, the decision has already been taken, turning the ongoing diplomatic dispute into a commercial problem for Bangladesh’s players.
Litton Kumar Das, Yasir Rabbi and former Test captain Mominul Haque are the most high-profile names set to be affected. One of the players confirmed privately that while formal communication from SG has not yet arrived, indications from agents strongly suggest that the sponsorships will not be renewed. “It looks like that is likely to be the case in the coming days,” the player told the publication.
First came the refusal by the BCB to allow Mustafizur Rahman to play in the IPL, leading to his release from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Then Bangladesh raised security concerns about travelling to India for the T20 World Cup and its government halted the IPL broadcast domestically. The Bangladesh-India cricketing ties have never been poorer.
Fear among Bangladeshi players
Industry insiders fear this may only be the beginning. With India controlling a major share of Bangladesh’s cricket equipment and sponsorship market, SG’s exit could trigger a retreat by other Indian manufacturers. One of the biggest sponsorships is also Sareen Sports Industries (SS), which have contracts with the likes of Mushfiqur Rahim, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain and a couple of others.
“I think other manufacturers also might opt not to sponsor our cricketers,” said a source involved in player representation. If that happens, the consequences could be severe for a generation of players who rely on endorsement income to supplement their careers.
Shockingly, the BCB, meanwhile, has carefully distanced itself from the issue, describing it as a private matter between players and sponsors.
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