The current rights which were acquired by Star in December 2013, will expire in March 2017 
The Indian Cricket Board has been going through some troubled times off late. With problems brewing between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), now the news comes that Star India will be withdrawing from the jersey rights that comes up for renewal in April. The current rights which were acquired by Star in December 2013, will expire in March 2017. Star’s bid was believed to be worth INR 19.2 million per match for bilateral series and INR 6.1 million per match for ICC sponsored tournaments. They had won the bid after Sahara’s bid was found out to be ineligible as per a BCCI statement.

Talking to Times of India, Star India chairman and CEO Uday Shankar said that the commitments being asked for are too demanding, without any clarity and hence the decision was taken.”We have been very proud that our name is carried on the jersey of Team India. But given all the uncertainties, we have decided not to bid for it again. The commitments being asked for are too onerous without any clarity,” he revealed.

The sponsorship rights involved Star to be officiated as the official team sponsor and also display the commercial logo on the men’s and women’s kits.

Shankar also spoke on the issue of BCCI’s possible pullout from Champions Trophy, describing how damaging it will be if the Indian board loses its position in the world cricket. “If India doesn’t participate in the Champions Trophy it would be bad for the tournament. But if India lose their voice or even if they are not playing a leading role, it would be disastrous for global cricket. The country that delivers the largest share of fans and also the largest share of money in global cricket should have a say in the critical affairs of the game,” he added.

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