Cricket sponsors catch 'em young

Sports management companies have started investing in the future by signing up cricket players well before they get anywhere near the Indian team.

As these players are not fully established, sport agents nurture these players with silent sponsors, which pay without using the players, hoping their discovery eventually gets into the big league. At least four such contracts have been signed in recent months and many more are understood to be in the pipeline.

Typically, these contracts are longer than usual, at least three years. The expenses, expectedly, are low and if the player hits paydirt, as MS Dhoni has, the returns are huge.

Piyush Chawla, who made his international debut at Mohali yesterday, was signed up by Gameplan a year ago. Gameplan's managing director Jeet Banerjee was convinced that Chawla was a "rare find". So he signed Chawla under a long-term contract "lasting more than three years".

Banerjee said he had raised money for Chawla from "silent sponsors such as sports apparel companies and some corporates".

Interestingly, Banerjee had signed up MS Dhoni before the wicket-keeper had made his international debut.

Percept D'Mark (India) signed up fast bowler Abid Nabi of Jammu & Kashmir three months ago and all-rounder Sachin Rana of Haryana just 10 days ago.

Already, coach Greg Chappel, according to sources, has called Nabi to Mohali to try him out at the nets. If selected, 20-year-old Nabi will be the first J&K player in Team India.

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