Sourav Ganguly denies 'conflict-of-interest' between heading BCCI and endorsing JSW Cement

Former Indian cricket captain and the current President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Sourav Ganguly recently denied any conflict of an issue over his association with JSW Cement. In June, JSW Cement appointed Ganguly as the brand ambassador of their company. JSW Sports, one of the arms of the business conglomerate JSW Group, co-owns a popular Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Delhi Capitals. Sourav Ganguly also served as a mentor of the Delhi Capitals in 2019, a role which he quit after being appointed as the BCCI President.

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BCCI President Sourav Ganguly’s Instagram post raises eyebrows

On Saturday, July 4, Sourav Ganguly took to Instagram and posted a picture of himself wearing a JSW Cement t-shirt. The BCCI President wrote “At work” in the caption, thus raising several eyebrows on social media. While speaking with The Sunday Express, Sourav Ganguly denied any conflict of interest issue between his BCCI leadership and his JSW Cement endorsement.

He stated that he is not the brand ambassador of JSW Sports, who co-owns Delhi Capitals, and JSW Cement, being a different subsidiary of JSW Group, is not associated with any of the IPL franchises. Sourav Ganguly added that he would have been involved in a conflict, only if he was associated with cricket.

Sourav Ganguly has had a long-standing bond with JSW Group, right from its iconic founder Sajjan Jindal to its current head Parth Jindal, who is also actively involved in the operations of JSW Sports-owned teams such as Delhi Capitals, former ISL champions Bengaluru FC and Haryana Steelers in the Pro Kabaddi League. 

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Ganguly brand endorsements: BCCI President's latest Instagram post

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Sourav Ganguly brand endorsements

When it comes to all the Ganguly brand endorsements, on Breakfast with Champions in 2018, the BCCI President revealed that he endorsed around 14 brands back then. This makes him still amongst the soughtafter Indian sportsmen for advertisers, with some brands being Fortune Oil, PeCfy, My11Circle, Ajanta Footwear, Senco Jewellers and Complan. Apart from his recent association with JSW Cement, some other Sourav Ganguly brand endorsements include DTDC Express Limited, Puma, Tata Tetley and Essilor Lens.

Quite recently, the BCCI President was also appointed as one of the directors of the new ATK Mohun Bagan team in the Indian Super League (ISL).

Sourav Ganguly-led BCCI’s stance on IPL 2020

The IPL 2020 was originally intended to launch on March 29. However, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic forced BCCI to indefinitely postpone the tournament. BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal recently stated that BCCI are now planning to go ahead with the preparations of IPL 2020 season and are contemplating to organise the event during the September-November window later this year.

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Image credit: PTI