Cricketers playing in the IPL will no longer be under any obligation to endorse products of the sponsors of their respective franchise.By Sai Prasad Mohapatra
The Indian Premiere League’s Governing Council which met on February 4 amended the players contract in which it has clearly mentioned that players are not required to endorse sponsors of the teams.
A copy of the latest decision which is in possession with SportsCenter confirms that IPL Governing Council has finally heeded to longstanding concern of the players who were caught in a conflict of interest between their individual sponsors and their franchise sponsors.
Earlier, four senior members of the Indian team met the BCCI president Shashank Manohar on last Friday and raised their concerns.
The meeting was meant to give the players an understanding of the stringent ambush marketing clause during the ICC Cricket World Cup, but the players too had expressed their concern about their sponsorship commitments for the IPL as well.
Sachin Tendulkar endorsing a pain killer balm or a battery inverter advertisement for his team Mumbai Indians is a direct conflict with his individual sponsors.
All most every franchise had players endorsing their sponsors’ product which had put players in a sticky situation with their individual sponsorship.
The concern too was raised by the agents who are managing the players with individual sponsors exerting pressure and dissuade them from endorsing franchises sponsors product.
“This not only is in direct conflict with players’ individual sponsorship but these endorsements devalue a player’s brand equity,” a manager of a senior cricketer said.
It is learnt that IPL Governing Council also made it clear that players will only promote the team not their sponsors.
However, IPL governing council has shot down players’ request of cutting number of days of commercial endorsement from 10 days to 5 days.