Sports apparel companies Adidas and Puma are set to battle for the rights to become Team India’s next kit sponsors. Nike’s 14-year deal with the ‘Men in Blue’ comes to an end in September 2020.
“Adidas and Puma have shown interest in becoming Team India’s kit sponsors,” a BCCI official said. “The entire process will be transparent and any deal that will be done will be in the interest of Indian cricket. Dream XI could also be a player.”
As per reports, Nike coughed up around Rs 370 crores (over AUD 5 billion) to renew the kit sponsorship with the Indian team in 2016 that will finish on 30 September this year. It is believed that they paid around Rs 87,34,000 per game.
However, in the current market scenario put forward by coronavirus pandemic, it was unlikely that Nike would be willing to put pen to paper on a similar high-budget deal.
“If Nike talks about a cut due to the current situation, then it will be a case of playing fair and allowing the ones who offer the best deal to have the rights to be the kit sponsors of the Indian cricket team,” explained a BCCI source. “Any other arrangement will not be palatable especially in the background of the challenges of quality that have emerged from time to time.”
Virat Kohli 
Rohit Sharma
Adidas and Puma both have a huge fan base in India. Puma has done especially well following deals with Indian skipper Virat Kohli and batsman KL Rahul.
As for Adidas, who are associated with India’s limited-overs deputy Rohit Sharma, they remains one of the biggest sportswear names worldwide and their immense reach is something that cannot be discounted.
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