Sahara logo to stay on cricketers’ shirts as standoff with BCCI ends

The Indian cricket team will continue to sport the Sahara logo on its shirts, as the standoff between the Subrato Roy-controlled Sahara Group and the Board of Control for Cricket in India was resolved on Thursday.

Sahara India has reversed its decision to end all commercial ties with the BCCI, and will continue to sponsor Indian Premier League team Pune Warriors, which Sahara had earlier pulled out of the tournament.

The rapprochement came after a series of meetings over the week. In a joint statement, Sahara group chairman Subrata Roy and BCCI president N Srinivasan disclosed that the face-off had amicably ended.

The Sahara Group had on 4 February walked out of the sponsorship deal for the cricket team and also pulled its team Pune Warriors out of the IPL auction, which would have dealt a serious blow to the BCCI's revenues.

Movie star and IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders co-owner Shah Rukh Khan played a major role in ending the impasse. Sahara chairman and managing director Subrata Roy publicly thanked Khan for going out of his way to help resolve the matter.

BCCI treasurer Ajay Shirke and former board president Shashank Manohar are also said to have played major roles in the matter.