Bat manufacturers cry foul
Every time a top Indian batsman raises his bat after achieving a milestone, or shows the full face of the blade with that classy drive, a manufacturer somewhere will let out a deep sigh.
Every time a top Indian batsman raises his bat after achieving a milestone, or shows the full face of the blade with that classy drive, a manufacturer somewhere will let out a deep sigh.
That is because the gleaming bat sticker beamed into millions of homes is invariably that of the player’s bat sponsor with the sticker of the company which made the bat stripped off or concealed with tape.
According to Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) guidelines, out of seven spots on the bat (front, back, bottom and edges), four are meant for the ‘manufacturer’s identification’ and ‘design’. Only one 10 square inch slot at the bottom of the back of the bat is for promoting the brand of the player’s sponsor. Two spots of a maximum two centimetres each, front and back, are reserved for the players’ ‘initials’.
But all the branding spots on the India cricketers’ bats are captured by companies like MRF, Nike, Reebok and Adidas, which do not manufacture bats. Indian companies SG, BDM, SS and BAS which actually make the bats seldom get the mileage.
The bats of Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma sport the logo of MRF, which is a commercial partner of the International Cricket Council. Ajinkya Rahane has a deal with Nike, also the shirt sponsor of the India team.
THE BIG FISH
Cyril Paldano, head of MRF Sports Goods Division, says: “We don’t manufacture, we outsource. All cricket equipment are outsourced from Meerut and Jalandhar.”
Puneet Mohan Shar ma, president of the All India Sports Goods Manufacturers Federation (AISGMF), which represents around 800 sports goods manufacturers has reasons to cry foul. “Indian cricketers have been removing or erasing the stickers and logos of our bat brands and replacing them with their sponsors. We are watching helplessly,” Sharma says.
“Companies ca n’ t eve n request players as it could hamper their business. We also wrote to the former sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal to protect our rights,” Sharma adds.
MONEY MATTERS
Virat Kohli’s bat sponsorship is worth a whopping Rs 8 crore and it is around Rs 6 crore for MS Dhoni.
“We do respect the Indian cricketers’ sponsorship deals. But we have written to the BCCI and ICC requesting them to protect our brand name and at least ask players not to remove the logo from the edges.” pleads the director of a top bat manufacturing company, requesting anonymity.
SURROGATE BRANDING
Surrogate branding also helps the sponsors mint money. “A layman sees Virat play with MRF bat and buys bats with such stickers at any cost, not realising that these are made by some other company”, says Puneet Mohan Sharma.
With a flourishing e-commerce business, bats by sponsors of India players have huge demand. “Yes, we are doing well. It is working for us,” says Cyril Paldano.
