Telecom company Bharti Airtel, which is the title sponsor of India's home int'l cricket matches, "has refused to extend its contract with the Board of Control for Cricket in India," according Vijay Tagore of the MUMBAI MIRROR. Airtel "had a three-year deal which ended in April this year." The contract was worth Rs 3.3 crore ($521,000) for every int'l fixture. Sources within the BCCI have revealed that Airtel "was not interested in renewing the arrangement." There was a three-month window for both parties for negotiating an extension but "apparently the talks have not materialised." A BCCI official said, "We've tried to negotiate with Airtel but they did not look too keen on renewal." Sources said that the BCCI "has called a meeting of its marketing committee" on Thursday. The meeting "will kick-start the process of search for a new sponsor and will call for a tender." The BCCI "has advised the state associations hosting the India-Australia series next month to go ahead and print tickets without the name of the title sponsor" (MUMBAI MIRROR, 9/18).
