MUMBAI: Conflict of interest? What’s that? And now ambush marketing? Propriety, thy name is definitely NOT Sourav Ganguly.
Ahead of the third and final T20I encounter between India and Bangladesh, in which Boys in Blue “sealed the deal” Sunday, the freshly minted BCCI president took time out to promote My11Circle, the fantasy cricket platform he endorses.
The former India skipper in a tweet spoke about the ongoing T20I series between India and Bangladesh and asked fans to ‘beat his team’ on My11Circle to receive monetary prizes.
“The #INDvsBAN series is on fire! The excitement continues in the 3rd match with series leveled. Will #TeamIndia keep up the winning streak or will Bangladesh bounce back? Beat my team on @My11Cirlce & Win Big. Make Your Team Now!,” Ganguly had tweeted.
That the BCCI president no less has no qualms about even continuing his association with My11Circle after taking charge is problematic in and of itself.
But when he, as the current serving head of the BCCI, wilfully ignores the fact that fantasy gaming platform Dream11 (which incidentally has a massive 90% share of the fantasy cricket market in India) is an official BCCI sponsor, that is clearly breach of contract terrain that Ganguly is treading.
There was much rah rahs from the media when Ganguly alighted the BCCI throne. That few seem to have a problem with this problematic state of affairs is indeed worrying.
Ambush marketing ready reckoner: Ambush marketing methods come in myriad forms, but have one common element. It aligns a brand with an event or property without having paid for the right to be a sponsor.
