Mobile-phone operator Robi has terminated the sponsorship agreement with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), citing the reason that the current sponsorship arrangement falls short in upholding the spirit of the agreement. The contract between the board and Robi was due to expire on July, 2019.

 “It has been the greatest honour for us to have the privilege of being the proud sponsor of the national cricket team, our Tigers. We fondly recall the meteoric rise of our Tigers in the global cricketing arena as soon as we became the sponsor in 2015. Our Tigers’ splendid performance on the field has been equally matched with an efficient management in Bangladesh Cricket Board under the leadership of its President Nazmul Hassan Papon MP. We are also grateful to all the fans and the friends from the media for your unrelenting love and encouragement during this period,” the telephone operator company said in a statement.

“However, it is with deep dismay, we feel that the current sponsorship arrangement falls short in upholding the spirit of the agreement. In such a backdrop, with sincere regret, Robi decided to discontinue the sponsorship of the national cricket team with immediate effect. We remain a staunch supporter of Bangladesh Cricket and would be keen to stand by our team in a different capacity in the future.”

Sources inside the Robi said the BCB didn’t fulfill some demands, which was in the clauses of the agreement.  They were actually concerned with the commercial aspects as the players continue to serve different companies as the brand ambassador.

No concerned person from BCB is ready to comment over the issue.

With a base price of TK 300 million, media planning company Top of Mind bought the sponsorship right of the team at TK 414.1 million in 2015. Later Robi bought the right from Top of Mind at an undisclosed price, which was their first involvement with the cricket apex board as a sponsor.

The base price was double later: TK 600 million when they retained it.

Robi CEO Mahtab Uddin Ahmed said, "We were together, we still are and will always be."

In June 2012, Sahara had outbid Grameenphone, who had sponsored the Bangladesh team for eight years, to sponsor the Tigers with a $14 million four-year deal.

The BCB ended the contract with the Aamby Valley (Mauritius), an affiliate of India’s Sahara Group, 15 months before the term was to end.