Nobody bid for India’s home title rights in August, and Muthoot FinCorp has them from today’s ODI
The BCCI has named Muthoot FinCorp its title sponsor for home cricket until March 2028, after a tender that drew no takers.
Sep 27, 2026
Muthoot FinCorp’s name goes on India’s home cricket from today’s first ODI against West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram. The BCCI confirmed on 26 September that the Kerala finance company is its new title sponsor for home cricket, in a deal that runs to 31 March 2028.
The board’s statement gave no fee. Reports put it at around Rs 4.85 crore a match, which would take the package to somewhere between Rs 150 crore and Rs 170 crore. BusinessToday’s figure is lower: it says Rs 4.85 crore was the negotiating base and the final per-match payment is closer to Rs 4.3 crore.
A tender nobody answered
The deal nearly didn’t happen this way. The BCCI’s tender for the rights closed on 13 August with no takers, and Storyboard18 reported that the Rs 4.85 crore base price had put buyers off. So the board went looking for a buyer directly. Onmanorama reports that talks were held with several companies, among them Google Gemini, Spinny and SBI Life, before Muthoot FinCorp signed.
IDFC First Bank’s deal ended in August. It had paid Rs 4.2 crore a match under a 2023 contract worth Rs 235 crore for 56 matches. Even at the lower reported figure, the new rate is a little higher. At Rs 4.85 crore it is up about 15 per cent. Set that next to the 44 per cent rise the board got on its associate deals earlier this month and it looks modest, which is roughly what you would expect after a tender nobody answered.
What the money covers
The rights take in roughly 35 home internationals across two seasons, reported as 10 Tests, 12 ODIs and 13 T20Is. They go well beyond the senior men’s side. The women’s team, India A, the Under-19 sides and the domestic calendar are all included: the Ranji Trophy, Irani Cup, Duleep Trophy, Vijay Hazare Trophy, Deodhar Trophy and Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
The company is marketing the tie-up under a “Blue Muthoot” banner, and the BCCI leaned on the colour in its release. “There is a natural connect between the two brands, with Muthoot FinCorp’s distinctive blue coming together with the Men and Women in Blue,” BCCI president Mithun Manhas said. Chief executive Shaji Varghese said it gave the company “an opportunity to be part of everyday Indian’s story.”
A full sponsor list again
The title deal completes the set for this cycle. SBI Life, Campa and ChatGPT are already on board as associate partners through March 2028.
The first match of the new deal is a Kerala one for a Kerala company. Shubman Gill leads India at the Greenfield International Stadium today, two days after the Mohammed Siraj delivery that hit his right elbow in the nets. After the three ODIs, the T20Is run from 6 to 17 October.