IPL: Kingfisher is umpire partner

IPL: Kingfisher is umpire partner
Mumbai: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)-promoted DLF-Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 championship augmented its Central Pool sponsorship revenue to Rs. 446 crore for a period of five years with Kingfisher Airlines coming on board as the official umpire partner.
Kingfisher Airlines will pay the IPL $26.5 million (Rs. 106 crore). The IPL now has commitments from real estate major DLF for Rs. 200 crore for the title sponsorship, Hero Honda as co-sponsor at $22.5 million (Rs.90 crore), PepsiCo India as the beverage partner at $12.5 million (Rs. 50 crore) and Kingfisher Airlines as the umpire sponsor.
The UB Group, owned by Vijay Mallya, had first bought the Bangalore region (Royal Challengers) at $111.6 million for 10 years and thereafter Kingfisher became the associate sponsor of the Delhi Daredevils team.
Mallya, Chairman and CEO, Kingfisher Airlines said that the five-year association as official umpire partner with the DLF-IPL was further testimony to the company’s commitment to build the Kingfisher Airlines brand through sports.
The eight franchise owners are to share 80 per cent of the revenue from the Global Media Rights for the first five years and 60 per cent from the sixth to the 10th year and a uniform 60 per cent of revenue generated from other sponsorships for 10 years.
According to observers, the eight franchisees will receive between $6 and 7 million from the Central Pool for each of the first five years. Furthermore, the eight teams have 100 per cent right on revenue earned from franchisee shirt sponsorship, local sponsorship, licensing programme, uniform merchandising, hospitality and premium seating, gate receipts, match-day concessions and match-day promotions. — Special Correspondent