Sri Lanka open bidding for team sponsorship rights

Sri Lanka Cricket has opened the bidding for team sponsorship rights for a three-year period starting on April 2005. The current team sponsor's deal, won by Dilmah Tea in 2002, expires at the end of March and the board are hoping for a record deal.

Dilmah paid just over $3 million for a three-year period and the board are hopeful this can be bettered because of a series of high profile tours, including four different series with India, two tours each with England and Australia, plus the 2006 Champions Trophy and 2007 World Cup.

The bidding process has started and bids should be delivered by 5pm on Feb 15. For the first time the board are offering the option of different team sponsors for home and away tours, like Australia who are sponsored by Travelex abroad.

The successful sponsor will be guaranteed branding on all clothing, advertising properties in home grounds, use of Sri Lanka Cricket and player images, various off-field promotional opportunities and space with home stadiums for corporate entertainment.

Sri Lanka Cricket signed a record $50 million television deal earlier in the year with Taj Television, the Dubai-based owners of TEN Sports, an agreement that alleviated a potential cash crisis because of a still unresolved television dispute with WSG Nimbus dating back to 2001.