MAM
Sahara woos BCB with lucrative sponsorship deal
MUMBAI: The Bangladesh Cricket Board is staring at a record sponsorship deal with a lucrative offer from Sahara Matribhumi, the Bangladeshi subsidiary of Sahara Group.
According to media reports, Sahara Matribhumi has offered to fork out $9.4 million for shirt sponsorship of the Bangladesh cricket team, spread over a four-year period in response to BCB‘s tender inviting offers from corporates.
However, BCB chairman Mustafa Kamal said that the cricket board is yet to take a final call on Sahara‘s lucrative offer which is substantially higher than the ones by local telcos Grameenphone and Robi.
Grameenphone, the current sponsors of the Bangladesh cricket team, has offered $3.4 million while Robi, which is the third largest telecom operator in the country, bid $4 million.
If approved, Bangladesh will become the second team to be sponsored by Sahara which has been long standing sponsor of the Indian cricket team. The business conglomerate also owns IPL franchise Pune Warriors India.
Besides cricket, the company also supports other sports like Hockey, Shooting, Wrestling and Volleyball.
MAM
Time brings TIME100 Next franchise to India with Reliance
List to spotlight 100 emerging leaders, gala set for December 2026 in Mumbai.
MUMBAI: It’s about time India’s next wave got a global spotlight and now, it’s on the list. New York-headquartered Time is expanding its TIME100 Next franchise to India, partnering with Reliance Industries Limited to launch TIME100 Next India, its first international extension of the rising leaders platform. The announcement was made at the Time100 Gala in New York by Jessica Sibley and Nita Mukesh Ambani, signalling a strategic push to tap into India’s growing influence across sectors.
The India edition will recognise 100 emerging leaders from the country and the global Indian diaspora, spanning business, science, sports, arts and social impact. The list will be curated by Time’s editorial team and published online, continuing the franchise’s focus on identifying individuals shaping the future.
The initiative will culminate in a gala event scheduled for December 2026 at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, anchoring the platform within India’s cultural and business ecosystem.
TIME’s broader Time100 franchise has steadily expanded its global footprint since 2021 through events and impact-led initiatives. Executives noted that India’s growing pool of influential voices and innovators made it a natural next step for the platform’s international ambitions.
For Reliance, the partnership aligns with its broader push to support emerging talent and ideas on a global stage. For Time, it marks a timely bet on India not just as a market, but as a talent engine shaping the next chapter of global leadership.
