Updated 9 June 2020 at 14:56 IST
Why did MS Dhoni use different bat stickers during 2019 WC? SG's marketing chief answers
MS Dhoni was seen playing with bats that had the logos of three different companies SG, SS and BAS during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
Former India captain MS Dhoni has been on a sabbatical for a long time now. The CSK leader was set to make a comeback in the IPL 2020 where he was set to lead his franchise but the tournament was postponed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. The 38-year-old was last seen in action during the 2019 World Cup in England where India were knocked out by New Zealand in the semi-final.
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There have been a lot of conjectures being made regarding MS Dhoni's future in international cricket. In fact, the conjectures were further bolstered when BCCI left MS Dhoni out from the centrally contracted players list. It remains to be seen how MS Dhoni's future pans out if the IPL 2020 is cancelled.
Why did MS Dhoni use different bat stickers during 2019 World Cup; explained
During the 2019 World Cup, MS Dhoni was seen batting with bats of different logos, which left a lot of fans perplexed. The CSK star was seen playing with bats that had the logos of three different companies SG, SS and BAS. Prior to this, MSD has seen playing with bats with either the Reebok or Spartan logos.
Recently, while speaking to The Scroll, the Marketing Director of SG (Sanspareils Greenlands), Paras Anand, revealed the reason behind MS Dhoni’s tactic of using multiple logos on the bat. Paras said that MS Dhoni’s agent approached everybody for a contract before the 2019 World Cup. However, he added that the level at which MS Dhoni was associated with other brands [sticker sponsors like Reebok and Spartan], no bat manufacturer could afford that amount of money . He revealed that unfortunately, no big brand came forward because they assumed that MS Dhoni would retire after the 2019 World Cup.
Speaking on MS Dhoni using multiple brands on his bat, Paras said that the former India captain had an association with them from the start of his career. He added the MS Dhoni started with BAS and then had a long partnership with SS. And then SG also started servicing him irrespective of whether he was using their sticker.
Paras revealed that the 2019 World Cup was his way of acknowledging us and saying thanks to the brands who supported him through his career. He also said that they were worried initially as they thought it wouldn’t send a good signal to the consumers. But eventually, they realised that any publicity is good publicity.
The Managing Director of SS (Sareen Sports), Jatin Sareen also said that Dhoni gave tribute to the manufacturers in the marquee event. He added that throughout his career when Dhoni was using bats that had sponsored stickers, many bat manufacturers looked after him. Then around the 2019 World Cup, when Dhoni thought he was going to retire and finish his career, he thought of giving a tribute to all the manufacturers that have served him by using bats with their logos.
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IMAGE COURTESY: BCCI TWITTER
Published By : Jatin Malu
Published On: 9 June 2020 at 14:56 IST