Not cricket, say star managers

Dubai: It's like the star Indian cricketer's worst fears coming true. The TV spot of a Sachin Tendulkar asking you to 'stay connected' or a Virender Sehwag sashaying in the arms of a beautiful model, barely after the batsman has actually reached the pavilion after yet another poor score - has been irking the Indian fan no end.

Hence, the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) move to restrict the number of endorsements per cricketer to three is perhaps the one that will meet with a universal approval - except of course the players themselves and their brand managers. The general feeling among the spin doctors for the stars is that it's a populist measure, aimed at portraying the players as 'greedy' and their commercial commitments the root of all evils.

Most of them are unanimous that the time given by the players for their shoots and other obligatory appearances for the sponsors are "minimal" vis-Ã -vis the number of days of international fixtures per year now.

A non-issue

"The BCCI is trying to blow up a non-issue like this while there are other pressing matters at hand. Over the last two years, they had practically gone on an overdrive in trying to convert the opportunity into cash. What is wrong with the players trying to do it?" said Shailendra Singh of Percept D' Mark Group.

Singh has also started making moves to unite their fraternity and also rope in the major sponsors of the national team like Sahara to consolidate their stance. Percept handles the portfolios of former Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly, Yuvraj Singh, S. Sreesanth of the current Indian team. Sachin Tendulkar, still the biggest brand in Indian cricket, switched his loyalties to Saatchi and Saatchi Group last year for a reported figure of $ 40 million (for three years) while the accounts of other saleable cricketers are handled by a handful of smaller companies.

A headcount reveals that there are only about five cricketers who dominate the endorsement scenario now - Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Sehwag and of course, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

"The shootings are normally scheduled when there is a break in the calendar. Hence, the talk of the players losing focus does not really hold water," said Jeet Banerjee of Gameplan - a Kolkata-based company who had gone for a hardsell of Dhoni over the last year and-a-half.

Lokesh Sharma of 21st Century Media (TCM), which has skipper Rahul Dravid, Irfan Pathan and Mohammad Kaif on its clients list, wants to wait and watch though before making a comment.

"There are several technicalities like what happens to the existing contracts, all of which are multi-year ones, which needs to be clarified."

Any professional has to be dedicated to their field of expertise. If these guys were paid less, then there would have been a justification for doing such activities. But they are getting paid more than they deserve.
Biju
Dubai,UAE

Indian cricketers should be banned from endorsements. Their job is to play for the country not sell products.
Gloria
Mumbai,India

Indian cricket players are getting huge fees from BCCI for playing cricket. Let them play for the country and concentrate on cricket. Why they are still greedy for more?
Paulose
Abu Dhabi,UAE

You give results and the rest will be pardoned. Like any other professional company, it is going to be hire or fire. Perform or get out. I agree with BCCI and more stricter moves will also be appreciated.
Raajkumar
Manama,Bahrain

This is a very good move. Indian cricketers now seem to have become more obsessed about making more money. They should be controlled.
Bipin
Dubai,UAE