BCCI names Campa Cola SBI Life and ChatGPT as associate partners

MUMBAI: The sponsorship scoreboard has started ticking again. The BCCI has added Campa Cola, SBI Life and ChatGPT to its associate partner line-up for bilateral cricket matches in India, with the three brands committing to a reported 35-match package running through March 2028.

Reliance Consumer Products’ Campa Cola emerged as the highest bidder, quoting Rs 1.31 crore per match, according to an Economic Times report. ChatGPT and SBI Life followed with bids of Rs 1.2 crore per match each.

Campa Cola edged out Bisleri and Indian Oil Corporation, both of which reportedly bid Rs 1.2 crore per match for the associate partner rights.

The deal comes at an important point for the BCCI, which is rebuilding its sponsorship portfolio after its previous title sponsorship arrangement ended in August 2026. While the associate partner slots have now been filled, the more lucrative title sponsorship remains up for grabs.

The BCCI had invited bids in July for title sponsorship as well as associate partner rights covering bilateral matches played by India in the country and other competitions included in its tender.

The board initially set August 13 as the deadline for title sponsorship bids, while associate partner quotations were due by August 25. The deadline for the latter was subsequently extended to September 7 as the BCCI continued its efforts to finalise a new title sponsor.

The reported bidding also gives a glimpse into the value brands continue to place on India’s bilateral cricket inventory. At Rs 1.2 crore to Rs 1.31 crore per match, the three successful bidders have put significant sums behind visibility around Team India’s home fixtures.

For Campa Cola, the partnership provides another high-profile sporting platform as Reliance Consumer Products continues to expand the soft drink brand’s presence in the Indian market. SBI Life, meanwhile, adds cricket to its growing roster of brand-building opportunities aimed at reaching a mass television and digital audience.

ChatGPT’s inclusion brings a technology brand into a sponsorship mix otherwise dominated by consumer and financial services companies, giving the associate partner line-up a distinctly modern twist.

With the three associate partner slots now accounted for, attention shifts back to the BCCI’s bigger sponsorship question: who will take over the title rights after the previous deal ended?

For now, though, the board has at least put three more names on the cricketing advertising pitch, with Campa Cola leading the charge at Rs 1.31 crore a match.