Sports
BCCI to decide on team sponsorship on 25 November
MUMBAI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has issued a tender document for team sponsorship for the national team as well as for three other teams including the women‘s team.
BCCI secretary N Srinivasan confirmed the news saying that the decision will be taken on 25 November, 2009. A floor price has not been fixed and the rights are from 2010-2014.
Srinivasan declined to comment on the amount that the world cricket‘s most powerful body is expecting. The BCCI is selling the bid documents for Rs 500,000, a copy which is non-refundable and non-adjustable, as per the tender notice put out by Srinivasan.
It has been learnt that current sponsor, Sahara, will get the first rights of refusal. Sahara paid around Rs 4 billion for the current deal.
A sports marketing expert says that the visibility that the winner gets will be huge, provided it is utilised in an effective manner. Apart from Sahara, another possible bidder would be Reliance Communications, which had bid the last time around but lost.
The company‘s head branding and marketing Sanjay Behl says that the company will evaluate the bid dosument before making a decision. Idea Cellular and Indian Oil Corporation had also bid the last time around. The winner, besides getting its logo on the shirt, can also use members of the Indian team in its ad campaigns.
Earlier, Nimbus had renewed its television deal with the BCCI for Rs 20 billion. This rights period is also from 2010-2014. Other rights that will come up for renewal in due course will include that for kit partner.
Sports
Ashish Limaye bags gold and bronze at Montelibretti 2026 event
Indian rider shines in Italy, gains ground ahead of higher-level tests
MUMBAI: Ashish Limaye delivered a strong performance on the international stage, clinching both gold and bronze at the FEI Eventing Competition Montelibretti 2026 held in Italy earlier this month.
Competing against riders from across the globe, Limaye secured the top podium finish in the CCI 2 Long Format riding Easy Turn, registering a score of 30.2 in a field that featured participants from five nations. He followed it up with a bronze medal in the CCI 2 Short Format aboard Willy Be Dun, scoring 32 in a much larger and highly competitive pool of 66 riders representing nine countries.
Reflecting on the outing, Fédération Equestre Internationale event rider Ashish Limaye said, “Riding at Montelibretti was amazing. To compete with such talented riders from around the world was fantastic. I’m really happy with the results and the effort our team has put in.”
Beyond the podium finishes, Limaye also achieved a milestone result on D’Avril du Pinier, earning a Minimum Eligibility Requirement, bringing him closer to qualifying for the FEI World Equestrian Games.
While the Montelibretti competition was not a direct qualifier for major multi-sport events, it serves as a crucial stepping stone as Limaye prepares to move up to the more demanding CCI 3 level.
With momentum firmly on his side, the Indian rider now looks set to build on this success as he targets bigger stages in the global equestrian circuit.
