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he Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is staring at the possibility of not having a kit sponsor for the Indian Cricket team when they travel to Australia next month.

In August, the BCCI had invited bids for the team kit sponsor and official merchandising partner rights through a tender process to replace outgoing sponsor Nike.

The deadline of the invitation ended on August 26, with several companies including Adidas and Puma purchasing tender documents, however they did not submit a final bid.

It is understood the board is still exploring the possibility of extending the tender deadline, so that it can have a sponsor in place by the time the series commences.

The BCCI say they were surprised by the lack of interest, particularly after the base price was reduced.

The BCCI were not the only ones taken back by the lack of interest, with experts saying they were also surprised the Indian Cricket team, with such a hot property, hasn’t found any takers yet.

An analyst told The New Indian Express that striking a deal as a kit sponsor with the Indian cricket team is a lot different to that of a football team.

“The other thing nobody speaks about is privacy rights,” they said.

“Unlike football kits, where fans pick up originals from stores, in India it doesn’t happen.

“You find so many vendors selling duplicate kits outside stadiums at cheaper rates, [therefore] it is something kit sponsors might take up with the BCCI,” the analyst said.

Nike, which was previously India’s apparel sponsor since 2006, had requested BCCI to extend its contract at a reduced rate, however the BCCI did not agree to the terms.

India kick off their Australian tour on December 3, when they play the first test match at the Gabba in Brisbane.