India’s business giant Sahara Group is set to become the new sponsor of the Bangladesh national cricket team after it appeared as the highest bidder in the tender which was opened on Wednesday, officials said.
‘We are delighted to announce that Sahara has appeared as the highest bidder to become the new sponsor of our national team,’ Bangladesh Cricket Board president AHM Mustafa Kamal told reporters.
‘They have offered $9.4 million (Tk 80 crore approximately) for four years. We will soon formally announce them as our sponsor,’ said Kamal, without giving any further details.
Officials, however, said Sahara’s offer is more than double of their nearest bidder, Robi Axiata Limited, a joint venture company of Axiata Group Berhad, Malaysia and NTT Docomo Inc, Japan, who offered $4.28 million.
Grameenphone, the previous sponsor of the Bangladesh team, was the only other bidder, who quoted $3.2 million, said the officials.
Grameenphone paid the BCB Tk 10 crore ($1.2 million) during their previous two-year deal, which expired in December 2011.
New sponsor Sahara, which also sponsors the Indian national cricket team, recently entered the Bangladesh market with the launching of its subsidiary organisation – Sahara Matribhumi Unnayan Corporation Ltd.
The company said they have a primary investment plan of about $120 million in a township-housing scheme near the capital Dhaka.
Apart from India’s senior cricket teams, Sahara also sponsors India’s men’s and women’s hockey teams. The company was co-sponsor of the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi.
The BCB, which also opened the tender documents for 12 other sponsorship packages, hoped to earn Tk 110 crore from all sponsorship deals over a four-year period.
-With New Age input
