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Tag: International Cricket Council

  • ICC announces Upstox as Official Partner

    Mumbai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday announced a major long-term partnership with the homegrown investment platform Upstox.

    The association, which runs to the end of the ICC’s current commercial rights cycle, begins with the inaugural ICC World Test Championship Final between India and New Zealand at Southampton, UK from 18 June to 23 June. The partnership will encompass all ICC events until the end of 2023.

    Established as RKSV securities in 2009, Upstox has grown rapidly over the years to become one of the largest online investment platforms in India. With four million+ customers onboard, this collaboration with ICC will be pivotal in taking Upstox to the next phase of growth. Engaging with millennials has been the focus of Upstox’s strategy, and the brand said it continues to execute its vision of making financial investing easy, equitable, and affordable for all.

    ICC chief commercial officer Anurag Dahiya said: “We are extremely pleased to welcome Upstox as an Official Partner of the ICC. As our marquee events around the world continue to attract a wide and passionate fanbase, this association provides Upstox with an unrivalled platform to educate and engage both existing and new customers. We look forward to supporting Upstox’s next phase of growth throughout 2021-23, a period in which the ICC will host no fewer than five senior-level World Cups across Men’s and Women’s cricket.”

    Commenting on the partnership, Upstox co-founder & CEO Ravi Kumar said: “There are parallels that can be drawn between various facets of cricket and investing. Just like a consistent and determined performance in cricket gets the team winning, the same attributes in investing can help to build a stronger investment portfolio. Upstox’s collaboration with the ICC will play a significant role in spreading financial awareness and building an equity investment culture in India. We want to empower our customers by helping them maximize the potential of their investments with our tech-enabled and intuitive platform.”

    Besides the ICC World Test Championship Final 2021, the events covered under the partnership are: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup for 2021 & 2022, ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup 2022, ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 & T20 World Cup 2023, followed by the ICC World Test Championship Final 2023. It also includes the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier 2023 and the World Cup 2023 matches.

  • IPL residual season may catch virtual flight to Emirates

    IPL residual season may catch virtual flight to Emirates

    Mumbai: Sporting fans will return to spectator stands after more than a year of a forced hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as India faces off with New Zealand in the World Test Cricket finals.

    Just over 4000 fans will cheer the two teams, for the first time, after 16 months of cricket sans spectators becoming the new normal in the world of cricket since the pandemic struck. Star Sports will bring live actions of the world test championship finals for Indian audiences. 

    As per (new normal) the standard protocols and practising Covid-19 appropriate behaviour, the Indian team is currently observing the harsh conditions of quarantine in Mumbai, before they depart for the UK on 2 June.

    Once there, they will stay ensconced within the imaginary bubble and hope it doesn’t burst before their Kiwi test challenge to decide top honours of the sport, at the Southampton stadium grounds on 18 June.

    The inclusion of spectators at the stadium will enthuse the cricketers, since most International matches over the last 16 months played out to empty stadiums over fears of infection of the contagion. 

    The United Kingdom sets an example

    The decision to include spectators in the test championship final was made as the Covid-19 situation in the United Kingdom has markedly improved. Recently, 1,500 spectators watched the match between Hampshire and Leicestershire at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, the same venue that will host the test championship final, come 18 June.

    According to a senior official formerly attached with the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), “India was always preparing to play in a foreign venue in respect of the T20 World Cup that has been rescheduled to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). India was supposed to host the tournament but the decision to shift the venue to the UAE was taken last year after the pandemic situation broke out over reluctance by other cricketing nations to visit India even as the pandemic’s footprint grew larger upon us in India. Now, even the remainder of the IPL is likely to be shifted to the UAE,”

    In another recent interaction, with Cricbuzz, the Hampshire cricket county club head Rod Bransgrove confirmed that upcoming county games and the world test championship final will be played with a reasonable number of spectators in the gallery. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), and the International Cricket Council (ICC) have also given a green signal to permit 4,000 spectators for the much-awaited clash between India and New Zealand. 

    After reaching Southampton, the Indian cricket team will undergo quarantine for ten days. However, the team will be allowed to participate in training sessions during this period. 

    Will India witness packed cricket galleries in near future?

    Even though England has permitted a limited number of spectators in cricket matches in the country, the current scenario in India indicates that the likelihood of people enjoying matches from galleries is still unlikely. The second wave of Covid-19 is expected to be followed by a third wave of the same that has the potential to wreak havoc in India. 

    The BCCI was compelled to temporarily suspend the remainder of the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) after some players tested positive for Coronavirus infection. Even though the tournament played out with all stakeholders abiding by safety protocols and viewer galleries bereft of spectators, the bio-bubble was still invaded by the virus. BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, while suspending the tournament revealed that the cricket board would incur a loss of Rs 2,500 crores if the 2021edition of IPL was not completed. 

    India was similarly expected to host the ICC T20 Men’s cricket world cup in October that will most likely now shift to the UAE. As the current wave of the pandemic in India is showing no signs of slowing down, it appears likely that this tournament will also be outsourced to a neutral venue such as the UAE.

    Both the ICC and BCCI have thought of a backup plan if a third wave hits India. Last month, ICC had revealed that Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates were being considered as alternatives if the pandemic situation in India worsened. 

    Dhiraj Malhotra of BCCI had also recently confirmed that the UAE would be used as a contingency if the pandemic in India continues to get worse. 

    The recent developments strongly indicate that the future of cricket in India will be directly dependent on the pandemic situation, and it is highly unlikely that matches in the country will be played out to packed galleries, or even moderately populated stadiums until the pandemic curve flattens. 

  • Indian women’s T20 world cup matches dominate TV screens with 72% viewing minutes

    Indian women’s T20 world cup matches dominate TV screens with 72% viewing minutes

    MUMBAI: The Indian women's cricket team may have failed to lift the T20 world cup at Melbourne, but definitely have turned the eyeballs of the audience, by putting up a tough fight during all the league matches.

    In the first 12 knock-out matches, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India reports: “Out of the 2548 million viewing minutes, Indian women’s matches dominated the television screen with a staggering 72 per cent to 1842 million viewing minutes.”

    According to BARC India, “The ongoing ICC Women’s T20 world cup garnered a total of 2548 million viewing minutes for the first 12 league matches played between 21-28 February. Of which 61 per cent of the male audience watched these matches.”

    “The 12 matches played during the tournament, achieved a cumulative reach of 46 million viewers, of which 27 million viewers were in the male category and 19 million were in the female,” reports BARC.

    For the first time in history, the International Cricket Council had organised the women’s T20 world cup as a standalone event unlike last season in 2016. The last edition of women’s T20 world cup was bundled with the men’s T20 world cup, which is scheduled later this year in October.

    According to the ICC, the first 12 matches of T20 world cup saw a growth of 213 per cent and attracted 2.46 billion viewing minutes in India versus 787 million viewing minutes for the same matches in the previous event in the same format.

    ICC also said that the opening match between India and Australia saw a reach of 20 million and an average audience of 3.55 million, which is 39 per cent higher than the most-watched match in the previous edition. Star Sports is the official global broadcast partner of ICC. In India, all the matches were shown in five languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu.

    Similarly, across ICC’s digital and social media platforms, fans have engaged in greater numbers than ever before with an unprecedented 701 million video views to date compared to previous best in 2017 for the women’s ODI cricket world cup, which netted a total of 100 million views from the whole event.

  • PitchVision ties up with Jain University to adopt state-of-the-art PV coaching systems in college

    PitchVision ties up with Jain University to adopt state-of-the-art PV coaching systems in college

    MUMBAI: PitchVision, ground breaking cricket coaching system that manages to successfully combine the passion of millions with the endless potential of the internet today announced its association with Jain University, Bengaluru. PitchVision cricket training technology is endorsed by some of the biggest names in cricket such as MCC Lords, Cricket South Africa, England and the Wales Cricket boards, and the International Cricket Council facility in Dubai. Its dynamic training tool PV/One system will be a part of the Universities cricket coaching program.

    Commenting on the development, PitchVision CEO Rohan Timblo said, “We are very excited to announce our association with Jain University, Bengaluru. Our state of the art PV cricket coaching system will assist coaches to capture and document every aspect of the cricketer’s game. All the data captured is available for the coach and players to review on our proprietary platform PitchVision.com and the PV app.  This allows for coaches and players to continuously interact and share their videos and comments with each other even from remote locations. Enabling the university to track, monitor and improve their students cricketing prowess. 

    The simplicity of the product is that PitchVision technology can be deployed anywhere in the university premises where cricket is potentially played. The PV/One takes about 10 minutes to set up and instantaneously delivers over 25 detailed reports and graphical analyses of each delivery bowled. It captures the critical data like batsmen’s strong and weak zones as well as the bowlers foot position, trajectory, line, length and beehive of the pitch map etc. The system is also equipped with a complete video analyses tool, where the videos are instantly generated and automatically edited and tagged to the player’s profile. All videos and player related data is permanently stored and can be accessed by coach and player on www.pitchvision.com or the PV App.  

    A delighted Jain Group of Institutions chairman Chainraj Roy Jain said, “Knowing PitchVision’s technological expertise, I am excited with this association. I am confident that this coaching system will help assist our coaching team to train youngsters in a more structured manner. Besides the hardware, PVone.com is also the largest online platform of player generated cricket content in the world with 200,000 unique videos uploaded every month. It’s great to know that these boys will now be registered on the same platform and will be exposed to cricketing content from other coaches from across the world. I strongly believe in outcome based training and I feel that this technology will definitively add value to our education system as a whole.”

  • PitchVision ties up with Jain University to adopt state-of-the-art PV coaching systems in college

    PitchVision ties up with Jain University to adopt state-of-the-art PV coaching systems in college

    MUMBAI: PitchVision, ground breaking cricket coaching system that manages to successfully combine the passion of millions with the endless potential of the internet today announced its association with Jain University, Bengaluru. PitchVision cricket training technology is endorsed by some of the biggest names in cricket such as MCC Lords, Cricket South Africa, England and the Wales Cricket boards, and the International Cricket Council facility in Dubai. Its dynamic training tool PV/One system will be a part of the Universities cricket coaching program.

    Commenting on the development, PitchVision CEO Rohan Timblo said, “We are very excited to announce our association with Jain University, Bengaluru. Our state of the art PV cricket coaching system will assist coaches to capture and document every aspect of the cricketer’s game. All the data captured is available for the coach and players to review on our proprietary platform PitchVision.com and the PV app.  This allows for coaches and players to continuously interact and share their videos and comments with each other even from remote locations. Enabling the university to track, monitor and improve their students cricketing prowess. 

    The simplicity of the product is that PitchVision technology can be deployed anywhere in the university premises where cricket is potentially played. The PV/One takes about 10 minutes to set up and instantaneously delivers over 25 detailed reports and graphical analyses of each delivery bowled. It captures the critical data like batsmen’s strong and weak zones as well as the bowlers foot position, trajectory, line, length and beehive of the pitch map etc. The system is also equipped with a complete video analyses tool, where the videos are instantly generated and automatically edited and tagged to the player’s profile. All videos and player related data is permanently stored and can be accessed by coach and player on www.pitchvision.com or the PV App.  

    A delighted Jain Group of Institutions chairman Chainraj Roy Jain said, “Knowing PitchVision’s technological expertise, I am excited with this association. I am confident that this coaching system will help assist our coaching team to train youngsters in a more structured manner. Besides the hardware, PVone.com is also the largest online platform of player generated cricket content in the world with 200,000 unique videos uploaded every month. It’s great to know that these boys will now be registered on the same platform and will be exposed to cricketing content from other coaches from across the world. I strongly believe in outcome based training and I feel that this technology will definitively add value to our education system as a whole.”

  • ICC inks 4-year online cricket deal with BBC

    ICC inks 4-year online cricket deal with BBC

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has inked a four-year partnership with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which will see the BBC Sport website provide in-depth coverage of all ICC Events until 2019 in the United Kingdom.

    The relationship started with the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016, which began in Bangladesh on 27 January, and will end with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which will be to be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board from 30 May to 15 July.

    Between the two events, the ICC will host the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 (8 March-3 April), ICC Champions Trophy 2017 (1-19 June), ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 (4-27 August), ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2018 (12 January-4 February), ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (1 March-4 April) and the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2018 (2-25 November).

    ICC finance and commercial affairs committee chairman Giles Clarke said, “The ICC is delighted to partner with BBC Sport in the United Kingdom, which is widely respected and followed due to its ability and resources to produce high-quality cricket content. As the United Kingdom will be host to three important ICC Events between 2017 and 2019, this deal confirms the ICC’s enthusiasm and commitment to take its events to all its fans irrespective of where they are in the United Kingdom and how they are following these tournaments.”

    “I have no doubts that this partnership will take cricket coverage to a completely new level and will benefit both the ICC as well as the BBC with cricket being the ultimate winner,” he added.

    The deal gives the BBC rights to show video clips (up to six minutes per hour of play), end of day round-ups, digital preview programming features and archive material in its territory. Video clips will be used to enhance the coverage of ICC events on all digital platforms, through mobile alerts and an enhanced live page.

    BBC Sport director Barbara Slater added, “We’re very pleased to announce this new agreement with the ICC, which is all about free to air accessibility and bringing the best of cricket to as wide an audience as possible. There is a strong appetite among audiences for the sport and we’re looking forward to helping deliver them the best of the action from these major events through to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The online rights will complement our live radio commentary portfolio and popular online offering, giving audiences video of the best of the action wherever they are.”

  • ICC inks 4-year online cricket deal with BBC

    ICC inks 4-year online cricket deal with BBC

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has inked a four-year partnership with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), which will see the BBC Sport website provide in-depth coverage of all ICC Events until 2019 in the United Kingdom.

    The relationship started with the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2016, which began in Bangladesh on 27 January, and will end with the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, which will be to be hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board from 30 May to 15 July.

    Between the two events, the ICC will host the ICC World Twenty20 India 2016 (8 March-3 April), ICC Champions Trophy 2017 (1-19 June), ICC Women’s World Cup 2017 (4-27 August), ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2018 (12 January-4 February), ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier (1 March-4 April) and the ICC Women’s World Twenty20 2018 (2-25 November).

    ICC finance and commercial affairs committee chairman Giles Clarke said, “The ICC is delighted to partner with BBC Sport in the United Kingdom, which is widely respected and followed due to its ability and resources to produce high-quality cricket content. As the United Kingdom will be host to three important ICC Events between 2017 and 2019, this deal confirms the ICC’s enthusiasm and commitment to take its events to all its fans irrespective of where they are in the United Kingdom and how they are following these tournaments.”

    “I have no doubts that this partnership will take cricket coverage to a completely new level and will benefit both the ICC as well as the BBC with cricket being the ultimate winner,” he added.

    The deal gives the BBC rights to show video clips (up to six minutes per hour of play), end of day round-ups, digital preview programming features and archive material in its territory. Video clips will be used to enhance the coverage of ICC events on all digital platforms, through mobile alerts and an enhanced live page.

    BBC Sport director Barbara Slater added, “We’re very pleased to announce this new agreement with the ICC, which is all about free to air accessibility and bringing the best of cricket to as wide an audience as possible. There is a strong appetite among audiences for the sport and we’re looking forward to helping deliver them the best of the action from these major events through to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019. The online rights will complement our live radio commentary portfolio and popular online offering, giving audiences video of the best of the action wherever they are.”

  • ICC to produce U19 Cricket World Cup 2016; ties-up with 15 broadcasters

    ICC to produce U19 Cricket World Cup 2016; ties-up with 15 broadcasters

    MUMBAI: For the first time ever, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be producing the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 as ICC TV along with its live production partner, Sunset + Vine. ICC has signed deals with as many as 15 broadcasters from around the world, who will then carry the feed.

     

    Star Sports has the rights for India and the sub-continent. The other broadcasters include Sky Sports (UK and Republic of Ireland), SuperSport (Africa and sub-Saharan Africa), OSN (MENA) and Willow TV (USA). Local broadcast will be brought to fans by four licensees; Gazi TV, BTV, Maasranga and Star Sports.

     

    The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 is scheduled to kick-off on 27 January and will see future stars of international cricket playing 20 matches, which will all be beamed live.

     

    According to the ICC, the potential reach for this event will easily outstrip any of the previous 10 U19 Cricket World Cup events as this is the first time that 20 matches will be broadcast live. In the 2014 event in the UAE, 11 matches were shown, while 10 matches each were televised from the 2008, 2010 and 2012 events in Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia respectively.

     

    The live coverage will start in Chittagong on 27 January, when a worldwide audience of over a billion is expected to watch South Africa launch its title defense against host Bangladesh in the tournament opener.

     

    The ICC, in line with its commitment to enhance the profile of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, has put in place a schedule that includes live broadcast coverage of all four matches from the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chittagong, seven matches from Fatullah (including two Super League quarter-finals and five Super League play-offs) and nine matches from the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) in Mirpur, including four first-round matches, two quarter-finals, both the semi-finals and the 14 February final.

     

    The high-quality broadcast coverage will be through 22 cameras and include HawkEye for ball speeds and other analytical insights. The line-up of commentators includes Pommie Mbangwa, Russel Arnold, Ian Bishop, Dominic Cork, Sanjay Manjrekar, Paul Allott, Athar Ali Khan, Daryl Cullinan, Lisa Sthalekar, Alan Wilkins, and Rohan Gavaskar.

     

    To highlight the aspirations of young cricketers participating at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, in the lead up the event, the ICC launched the #FutureStars promotional campaign on broadcast and digital. In a series of four promotional videos featuring Mehedi Hasan of Bangladesh, Dan Lawrence of England, Wiaan Mulder of South Africa and Ishan Kishan of India, these young cricketers talk about their inspirations and ambitions.

     

    The event will also be covered on ICC digital channels. The official website www.icc-cricket.com will provide live scoring and full match center coverage for all matches. The 2016 edition is also the first ICC U19 Cricket World Cup ever to have a dedicated mobile app, available on both Android and iOS. Both the website and the app will contain the latest news, columns, video clips, official tournament standings and statistics.

     

    Fans will also be able to catch the Nissan Play of the Day every day on the website and the app, which will be in play for all 18 televised match-days in Bangladesh. On social media, the ICC will have dedicated on the ground coverage from all of the venues in Bangladesh, with bespoke content appearing on all of the @ICC accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube.

     

    ICC CEO David Richardson said, “This is the most important age-group cricket tournament, which has a tradition of producing the next generation of stars. As such, the ICC has decided to expand the reach of this event, providing unprecedented broadcast and digital coverage to ensure that individual and team performances are provided greater exposure and that the youngsters get a taste of a truly global event.”

     

  • ICC to produce U19 Cricket World Cup 2016; ties-up with 15 broadcasters

    ICC to produce U19 Cricket World Cup 2016; ties-up with 15 broadcasters

    MUMBAI: For the first time ever, the International Cricket Council (ICC) will be producing the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 as ICC TV along with its live production partner, Sunset + Vine. ICC has signed deals with as many as 15 broadcasters from around the world, who will then carry the feed.

     

    Star Sports has the rights for India and the sub-continent. The other broadcasters include Sky Sports (UK and Republic of Ireland), SuperSport (Africa and sub-Saharan Africa), OSN (MENA) and Willow TV (USA). Local broadcast will be brought to fans by four licensees; Gazi TV, BTV, Maasranga and Star Sports.

     

    The ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Bangladesh 2016 is scheduled to kick-off on 27 January and will see future stars of international cricket playing 20 matches, which will all be beamed live.

     

    According to the ICC, the potential reach for this event will easily outstrip any of the previous 10 U19 Cricket World Cup events as this is the first time that 20 matches will be broadcast live. In the 2014 event in the UAE, 11 matches were shown, while 10 matches each were televised from the 2008, 2010 and 2012 events in Malaysia, New Zealand and Australia respectively.

     

    The live coverage will start in Chittagong on 27 January, when a worldwide audience of over a billion is expected to watch South Africa launch its title defense against host Bangladesh in the tournament opener.

     

    The ICC, in line with its commitment to enhance the profile of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, has put in place a schedule that includes live broadcast coverage of all four matches from the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) in Chittagong, seven matches from Fatullah (including two Super League quarter-finals and five Super League play-offs) and nine matches from the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) in Mirpur, including four first-round matches, two quarter-finals, both the semi-finals and the 14 February final.

     

    The high-quality broadcast coverage will be through 22 cameras and include HawkEye for ball speeds and other analytical insights. The line-up of commentators includes Pommie Mbangwa, Russel Arnold, Ian Bishop, Dominic Cork, Sanjay Manjrekar, Paul Allott, Athar Ali Khan, Daryl Cullinan, Lisa Sthalekar, Alan Wilkins, and Rohan Gavaskar.

     

    To highlight the aspirations of young cricketers participating at the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup, in the lead up the event, the ICC launched the #FutureStars promotional campaign on broadcast and digital. In a series of four promotional videos featuring Mehedi Hasan of Bangladesh, Dan Lawrence of England, Wiaan Mulder of South Africa and Ishan Kishan of India, these young cricketers talk about their inspirations and ambitions.

     

    The event will also be covered on ICC digital channels. The official website www.icc-cricket.com will provide live scoring and full match center coverage for all matches. The 2016 edition is also the first ICC U19 Cricket World Cup ever to have a dedicated mobile app, available on both Android and iOS. Both the website and the app will contain the latest news, columns, video clips, official tournament standings and statistics.

     

    Fans will also be able to catch the Nissan Play of the Day every day on the website and the app, which will be in play for all 18 televised match-days in Bangladesh. On social media, the ICC will have dedicated on the ground coverage from all of the venues in Bangladesh, with bespoke content appearing on all of the @ICC accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ and YouTube.

     

    ICC CEO David Richardson said, “This is the most important age-group cricket tournament, which has a tradition of producing the next generation of stars. As such, the ICC has decided to expand the reach of this event, providing unprecedented broadcast and digital coverage to ensure that individual and team performances are provided greater exposure and that the youngsters get a taste of a truly global event.”

     

  • ICC ropes in MRF Tyres as global partner in four-year deal

    ICC ropes in MRF Tyres as global partner in four-year deal

    MUMBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has roped in MRF Tyres as a global partner for ICC events for a period of four years from 2016 to 2020.

     

    Over the next four years, the ICC events include eight tournaments, including the ICC World Twenty20 in 2016, an ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 and an ICC Cricket World Cup in 2019.

     

    The ICC and MRF Tyres recently completed a partnership at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. 

     

    ICC CEO David Richardson said, “I am delighted that MRF Tyres has decided to continue its support of cricket by extending its partnership with the ICC for a further four years. Our aim at ICC events is to create an exceptional experience for all involved and I am confident that not only will MRF help us enhance that aim but that the forthcoming ICC events will help MRF promote its brand and expand its reach to other parts of the globe.”

     

    “MRF is already an active promotor and supporter of cricket with a number of domestic and international fast bowlers benefitting from its MRF Pace Foundation. I am excited that MRF has elected to be cricket’s global partner and I am confident that this will be the start of a long relationship,” he added.

     

    MRF Tyres chairman and managing director K M Mammen said, “This is a proud moment for MRF and this association is a testimony to our commitment to cricket. Twenty20 is the most popular form of the game today and it is a matter of great pride to be associated with the ICC World Twenty20 2016. Association with the ICC and the game of cricket presents a great opportunity for brand MRF to reach markets across the world. We are indeed proud to bring this thrill-a minute tournament to the millions of fans in India and all over the world.”

     

    Also present at the announcement event at MRF Tyres headquarters in Chennai was former India captain and MRF brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar.