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Team India could go ahead without a jersey sponsor at the World Test Championship Final between India and Australia starting on June 7. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to proceed without any jersey sponsor in the upcoming clash to be held at the Oval, London. Since Byju’s, which was the Indian Cricket Team’s jersey sponsor, has moved out of the deal, the team could play in a retro-looking jersey.
The Indian squad that has names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja will reportedly be spotted donning training gear with only BCCI’s emblem. The gear also consists of the logo of new kit sponsor Adidas.
As per a report by Hindustan Times, the reason behind team jerseys having no commercial logo is due to the fact that Byju's, which was the team's jersey sponsor, has opted out of the deal due to some uncertain market conditions, and cancelled the deal with BCCI in March, which was supposed to last till November. The regulating board was supposed to publish tenders to invite brands for a long-lasting deal, but it didn’t happen as the officials didn’t get satisfactory answers from the negotiations. Though there were several short-term deals on the tables, it was decided to not move forward.
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An official from BCCI told Hindustan Times, "It would only be fitting that Indian cricket engages with prestigious and long-term partners rather than going for low-key deals."
However, the board is hopeful to get a long-term prestigious deal, given their five-year deal with Adidas, and at least one white-ball tournament a year. Meanwhile, it would be very unusual to see players donning jerseys without any sponsor logo. It is to be noted that the entire squad has reached the UK and has started training for one of the most notable cricket clashes, against Australia.