With less than a month to go before the start of the 2024 T20 World Cup, MRF has reportedly snapped its ties with the International Cricket Council.
The Indian tyre major had a long-standing relationship with the ICC but has decided not to extend the partnership further, News18 has reported.
What lends further heft to the report is the fact that the official ICC website no longer has MRF among its list of official partners.
According to News18, barring DP World and Aramco, other premium sponsors are “either figuring out their returns on the investment or working on an exit strategy”.
“There are multiple factors contributing to this. And the lack of a robust team to keep the sponsors interested is one of the key issues,” the news channel cites industry experts cites industry experts aware of developments, as having said. “There have been cases of potential sponsors showing interest, but somehow, thanks to their (the governing body) approach, talks have never really peaked”.
“Every sponsor is critically evaluating the return for their dollar spent. There is no buzz being felt, and no plan seems to be in place for marquee events. And then there is the timezone factor, a major,” adds an industry expert.
It bears noting that the recent sale of the India market’s media rights alone contributed 90% to the ICC’s global telecast revenues.
For the record, after MRF’s exit, ICC’s official partner list reads as follows:
Premier Partners – Emirates, Aramco
Global Partners – DP World, Coca-Cola, IndusInd Bank
