Mumbai, Sept. 18 -- The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) found themselves a new jersey partner on Tuesday in Apollo Tyres for Rs.579 crore, it is learnt. The winning bid was approximately 28% higher in value than the minimum asking price. For the Gurgaon-based tyre manufacturer to join hands with the BCCI for a two-and-half year partnership which will run until March 2028 signals good news for Indian cricket in light of the circumstances in which the previous partners Dream 11 had to step away, following government regulatory changes. Apollo brushed past competing bids from Canva (Rs.554 crore) and JK Cement (Rs.477 crore) to bag the deal which will include 121 bilateral matches and 20 matches in ICC events. "The new partnership, secured after a rigorous bidding process, represents a substantial increase in sponsorship value, signifying the immense and growing commercial appeal of Indian cricket," a BCCI statement said. The BCCI had set a moderately higher base price of Rs.3.5 crore per bilateral match and Rs.1.5 crore per ICC match compared to the previous deal. As it turned out, Apollo bid a significantly higher sum (Rs.4.5 and Rs.1.7 crore per match). With a tyre manufacturer, a tech company and a cement firm throwing up competitive bids, it goes to show the continuing allure of partnering with the Indian cricket team. Even more so considering, this association comes at a time when the entire Real Money gaming business which contributed so heavily to cricket sponsorships had to shut shop. In the Invitation to tender, the BCCI had also prohibited betting, crypto, tobacco brands from bidding. Other categories like athleisure, banking, financial compares, non-alcoholic beverages, fans, mixer grinders, safety locks and insurance companies were barred from participating to prevent a direct conflict with existing sponsors. Another key takeaway for the BCCI being, enough interest from brands to line up for associations with the Indian team, even when they are playing bilateral cricket, a segment that's becoming increasingly difficult to market in other parts of the cricket world. So what if India's men's team is currently a team in transition, with new stars in-the-making; it didn't deter corporates from queuing up to have their logo on the front jersey of men in blue. So also, the women in blue, with the ODI World Cup in India-Sri Lanka set to begin from September 30. For Apollo Tyres, the deal marks their first foray into Indian cricket, which they called "a strategic move with a sport that resonates deeply with the nation"....