The Hundred 2021: ECB likely to lose INR 41.2 crore after major UK government ruling

The Hundred 2021 tournament, organized by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), is all set to begin on Wednesday, July 21 in The Kia Oval in London. The ECB had announced KP Snacks as their main sponsors in the year 2019 which had raised some eyebrows among the health campaigners. In a recent development, ECB’s sponsorship deal with KP Snacks has landed itself in trouble after the Boris Johnson-led UK government announced a ban on junk food advertisement.

ECB’s sponsorship deal with KP Snacks is worth £4 million (approx. INR 41.2 crores) and this deal was made for a period of 5 years. According to the deal, each of the 8 city-based teams were given an individual snack from the KP brand to promote on their jerseys. This deal was criticized by health campaigners and the Obesity Health Alliance also gave a statement saying that the relentless exposure to junk-food marketing directly influenced children’s food choices and how much they ate.

Boris Johnson led UK government to administer the ban from 2022

The junk food advertisement ban is set to be applied from the year 2022 and the inaugural year of The Hundred with KP Snacks will remain unaffected by it. However, the ban will definitely affect the 5-year deal worth INR 41.2 crores and KP may have to exit as the main sponsor at the end of 2021. The ban will prohibit the advertisement of junk food on TV before 9 p.m. followed by a complete ban online.

Addressing the criticism, an ECB spokesperson had said that The Hundred’s partnership with KP Snacks enables them to introduce cricket to more families and is based around getting people active. He also added that investment from commercial partners plays a vital role in funding grassroots cricket. The ECB had also assured earlier that KP products would not feature on replica shirts that will be sold to children.

Dinesh Karthik to be a part of the commentary panel

Dinesh Karthik was named as a part of the tournament’s commentary panel during the IPL 2021. Dinesh Karthik will be joined by some prominent names of cricket like Daren Sammy, Greenway, Kevin Pietersen, Kumar Sangakkara, Lydia Greenway, Mel Jones, Stuart Broad, Tammy Beaumont and Wasim Akram. After the IPL 2021 suspension, fans would be eager to experience Dinesh Karthik’s role as a commentator in The Hundred 2021.

England cricket schedule 2021 before The Hundred

The England cricket schedule 2021 for the latter half of the year will see Eoin Morgan and the team facing New Zealand in a Test Series. The England vs New Zealand 2021 Test series consists of two Test matches starting from June 2. The first Test match will take place from June 2 to 6 at Lord’s. The second Test match will take place from June 10 to 14 at the Edgbaston.

Image Source: The Hundred Twitter