Vodafone named sponsor of India's 2020 tour of Australia in multi-million dollar deal

Nick Hockley, the Interim Chief Executive of Cricket Australia, recently announced the naming rights partner for Australia's Test team as well as Women's Big Bash League for three years. Vodafone has joined hands with the Australian cricket team as a partner. The Australian team will have a new partner in Vodafone during the India vs Australia 2020 series.

India vs Australia 2020 series marks Vodafone's return to international cricket sponsorship after 8 years

The multi-million dollar sponsorship deal from Vodafone will give Cricket Australia a much-needed boost, as it was reported the board was going through a financial crisis this year. The deal also reconfirmed the faith brands have when the longer format is concerned. Australia also is the number 1 ranked Test team at the moment. The Australian cricket team had a partnership deal with a real estate company, Domain for 4 years. However, Domain decided to terminate the affiliation mid-way through their deal. 

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Nick Hockley also thanked Vodafone for supporting Australia's Test matches as a sponsor, as Australia's test summer is an integral part of the country's annual cricket calendar. Vodafone joined Alinta to become a Platinum partner, which marks the return of Vodafone as a sponsor in international cricket. Along with the Test team and the WBBL, Vodafone also is a principal partner of the Adelaide Strikers in the Women's BBL and serves as a partner in the Adelaide franchise in the Men's BBL.

Indirectly, Vodafone have the Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI to thank for their return to sponsorship in international cricket after 8 years as India agreed to fulfill their ICC Future Tours Programme commitment of touring Australia at the end of the year, despite the COVID-19 crisis. The India vs Australia 2020 series is set to see Virat Kohli lead India and presence of players like him is expected to be largely lucrative for Cricket Australia.

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Sourav Ganguly's BCCI also looking to lock in a new kit sponsor

Several companies have shown interest to come on board as a kit sponsor for the Indian cricket team. Adidas, Puma, Wrogn, The Walt Disney Company and Dream Sports had reportedly have shown keen interest in the deal. However, the BCCI had to set a new extended date for accepting the bids, as due to a technical error, it was not able to receive any bids for the sponsorship. 

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India vs Australia 2020 series details

The Indian cricket team is scheduled to travel to Australia later this year for a tour that will span across three months. The Virat Kohli-led side will compete against the hosts in 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs and 4 Test matches in December 2020. There is always a fierce competition when these two teams face each other and as the countries return to international cricket after the COVID-19 pandemic, fans will be eager to witness the clash.

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Image Source: Cricket Australia Instagram & Vodafone Twitter