CA bans IPL teams from using Australian players for promoting certain brands; franchises upset

Cricket Australia (CA) has imposed some harsh restrictions on the usage of Australian players for advertising and promotion of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by their respective franchises. CA wrote an official mail to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) where they issued guidelines on dos and don’ts for the franchises looking forward to advertising their teams using the Australian cricketers.

One of the foremost things mentioned in the mail is that no Kangaroo player should be seen promoting stuff like betting, fast food, alcohol, and tobacco brands during the Indian Premier League (IPL). The full team photo of any IPL franchise including the Australians, that is being circulated in the press in India, shouldn’t sport the name of the brand that is engaged in the business of alcohol, fast food/fast-food restaurants, tobacco, or betting.

BCCI further wrote an official mail to all the eight franchises making them aware of the restrictions imposed by CA. The BCCI mail read as quoted by Cricbuzz, “Cricket Australia has imposed the following restrictions on Franchisees’ use of Australian players in advertising and/or promotional materials: In any specific advertising or promotional activity featuring any Australian player (in any medium including TV, radio, press, outdoor, internet, point of sales or on-pack advertising), each Franchisee may only use,

“(a) no more than 1 Player who has a Central Contract with Cricket Australia; and/or; (b) no more than 1 Australian Player from the same Australian State; and (c) no more than 1 Australian Player from the same Big Bash team…”

BCCI, in principle, should not accept such conditions: A franchise official

“By way of example: A Franchisee may, subject to compliance with the remainder of these Player Regulations, the Player ID guidelines and the Player Contract, use three Australian players in any advertising material as long as no more than one has a Central Contract and all three are from different States and Big Bash teams,” the mail added.

These restrictions by the Australian cricket board managed to upset many franchise officials as they questioned BCCI on why they are agreeing with such bizarre conditions of CA. In addition, they are also left wondering what prompted CA to impose such guidelines when they themselves promote things like alcohol and fast food.

“That is not a major issue because alcohol, betting and tobacco brandings don’t happen in India anyway but the BCCI, in principle, should not accept such conditions,” said a franchise official.