Sreesanth still batting for Kerala Premier League

Controversial Indian cricket star S Sreesanth has been removed from many brand endorsements in India but Dubai-based Kerala Premier League (KPL) is still to decide about removing the cricker as its brand ambassador who is currently policec custody in connection with spot fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 6.

The leading building materials trading house Danube is also not sure whether it will retain Sunil Gavaskar as the group's brand ambassador for one more year, while a logistic and shipping company said its contract with England cricketer Stuart Broad is long term and continues.

Along with Malayalam superstar Suresh Gopi and Bhama, Sreesanth has been the brand ambassador of the two-year-old KPL,said to be a Middle East version of Indian Premier League.

“We have not yet removed Sreesanth from the brand ambassadorship of Kerala Premier League, because the investigation against him has not reached a conclusion and we could not speak to the bowler because he is in police custody.

"We are waiting for a clear picture from India before rushing to remove Sreesanth from our brand ambassador’s post. We are waiting for the next board meeting to be held by the end of June 2013 to take a final decision,” said Paul George, director, KPL Dubai.

The match fixing controversy has made the once favourite star of Kerala a liability to many brands. The first one to remove him was Kerala state government's Karunya Lottery,

Paul said the brand ambassadors, especially Sreesanth and Suresh Gopi, did much to popularise the game in Dubai.

“No final decision has been taken yet because we have been waiting for a final decision from India. Since he has been jailed for a few weeks now, we could not talk to him to take a final decision to terminate him. We know he has been removed from the brand ambassador's post of some companies,” said Paul, who said Sreeshanth was not paid much for the ceremonial post.

Both Suresh Gopi and Sreesanth did not have any stake in the KPL Dubai and didn’t take money in the first two sessions, Paul added. He said KPL is committed to continue the game in Dubai and the next season is in December 2013.

“We have a commitment to him and in the first two seasons we just gave them enough to meet their expenses related to the KPL Dubai matches,” said Paul.

Outside India, KPL Dubai has been branded as a popular tournament as the event grabbed media attention not only in the UAE, but globally as well.

The Indian community in the UAE feels that Sreesanth has been singled out in the investigations about match fixing. After allegations of links to the underworld surfaced, many others are distancing themselves from the cricket star.

Even before the controversy, major industrial houses in Kerala, whose products Sreesanth had been endorsing, refused to revive their contracts with him. Sreesanth was the brand ambassador of Muthoot Pappachan Group and Mather Constructions. Muthoot did not renew the contract in 2008 and Mather backed out in 2009. His business plans in Dubai are reportedly under the scanner of the investigators.

Meanwhile, other cricket stars too seem to be losing their brand ambassador posts.

Sunny side... down

Danube, which roped in  former Indian cricket captain and commentator Sunil Gavaskar as the brand ambassador paying an undisclosed high amount, may not renew his contract for the second year.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Rizwan Sajan, Chairman, Danube Group, said his company had appointed Gavaskar as the brand’s new brand ambassador, replacing female model Uma Ghosh Deshpande.

Rizwan Sajan was non-committal about renewing the contract with Gavaskar as the brand ambassador for 2013-14.

“We are still in discussion whether to continue the brand ambassador’s agreement with Sunil Gavaskar,” he said, adding that the group roped him in because he is a household name among expatriates from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries including Afghanistan.

Gavaskar was roped in as brand ambassador as part of Danube's aggressive expansion plans in the region from 35 outlets to 75 in the next four years, at the rate of ten showrooms per year.

“Gavaskar is a clean guy and he has added a lot to our business. We are yet to finalise whether to retain him for the second year. Match fixing controversy is not new. Gavaskar was never a controversial figure and his clean image helped our expansion and brand promotion campaign in the Gulf region,” said Rizwan.

Dubai-based global shipping and logistics company GAC Global said it has a long term contract with British cricketer Stuart Broad.

GAC, a global provider of shipping, logistics and marine services, signed a sponsorship deal with Broad in January 2012.

Stuart plays for Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and is a member of the England Test and one-day international teams.

He was also a member of the Ashes-winning teams of 2009 and 2010/11 and in 2011 was appointed England Twenty20 Captain at the age of just 25. “Stuart continues to be our brand ambassador and we have a long term contract with him,” said an official from GAC Global.

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