MRF severs ties with ICC ahead of T20 World Cup; other sponsors reportedly reconsider partnership

Tyre manufacturers MRF severed ties with the International Cricket Council (ICC) as their global partner on Friday after an eight-year association with the global governing body for the sport just two weeks before the T20 World Cup.

While MRF has officially pulled the plug, there are a number of other premium sponsors who are unhappy with the way cricket is being run at a global level and are reconsidering their partnership with the ICC, according to a report on CricketNext.

While DP World and Aramco are yet to express concerns regarding their ongoing partnership with the ICC, several others are either evaluating their returns on investment or are working on an exit strategy.

“There are multiple factors contributing to this. And the lack of a robust team to keep the sponsors interested is one of the key issues. There have been cases of potential sponsors showing interest, but somehow, thanks to their (the governing body) approach, talks have never really peaked,” a source was quoted as telling CricketNext.

Issues pertaining to the upcoming T20 World Cup , which will be co-hosted by West Indies and USA, might have also contributed to the sponsors having second thoughts on the matter, from match timings — the earliest matches starting at 8 pm IST — to the lack of a proper build-up for what is the ICC’s flagship T20 event.

“Every sponsor is critically evaluating the return for their dollar spent. There is no buzz being felt, and no plan seems to be in place for marquee events. And then there is the timezone factor, a major,” added an industry expert.

There was no formal announcement on a new global sponsor from the ICC and a decision will likely be made after the conclusion of the T20 World Cup, which will run through the month of June.