The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is searching for a new title sponsor for the T20 Blast after Vitality decided not to continue its sponsorship. The health and life insurance company has held the naming rights for the men’s tournament since 2018 and also sponsored the women’s event for the past two seasons.
Vitality will also end its title sponsorship of England’s home men’s and women’s T20Is later this year. The ECB has known about the change since mid-summer and is currently working to secure a new title sponsor for the domestic competition, which continues to compete for attention alongside The Hundred.
ECB Searches for New T20 Blast Title Sponsor After Vitality Exit
Vitality has been one of the ECB’s major commercial partners in recent years. The company replaced NatWest as the men’s T20 Blast title sponsor in 2018 and later brought the men’s and women’s competitions under the same name.
The company also held the naming rights for England’s home T20 internationals. Both sponsorship arrangements will now end, although the reason for the decision has not been disclosed.
Vitality will, however, retain a presence in English cricket. The company will remain an ECB partner and continue to have its logo on the back of England’s Test, ODI and T20I shirts.
It will also continue its association with The Hundred through the Trent Rockets and retain the naming rights for the indoor school at Lord’s. The facility is now known as the Vitality Lord’s Performance Centre and is used by club and professional cricketers, including <a href="https://cricket.international/rishabh-pant-reveals-what-makes-virat-kohli-special-despite-mounting-pressure/" title="Rishabh Pant reveals what makes <a href="https://cricket.international/kapil-dev-hails-virat-kohli-calls-him-a-special-talent-after-15000-odi-runs/" title="Kapil Dev hails Virat Kohli, calls him a ‘special talent’ after 15,000 ODI runs”>Virat Kohli special despite mounting pressure”>Virat Kohli.
T20 Blast Faces Scheduling Challenges Despite 650,000 Attendance
T20 Blast has had to adapt its structure because of the increasingly crowded English cricket calendar. The men’s competition was reduced from 14 to 12 group-stage matches per team, while the number of groups increased from two to three.
The knockout stages were also moved ahead of The Hundred to help counties retain overseas players who had featured during the group stage. However, this season’s knockout matches clashed with England’s white-ball fixtures, limiting the availability of some leading county players.
The competition also lost the prime summer holiday window it occupied before The Hundred was introduced. Despite those challenges, the Blast attracted around 650,000 spectators this season, exceeding The Hundred’s total attendance.
ECB and Vitality Reflect on Long-Standing Partnership
ECB head of commercial partnerships Ben Bradley thanked Vitality for its contribution to English cricket and confirmed that the relationship would continue in a reduced capacity.
“Vitality has been an amazing partner of English cricket since 2013, and we are incredibly grateful for their support for the growth of the game at every level.
“Over the years, Vitality has shown deep commitment to cricket, and while they will no longer be title partners of the T20 Blast and IT20s, they continue to be a valued partner to the ECB. We look forward to continuing to work together in the years ahead to further grow the game,” Bradley said.
Vitality Group CEO Neville Koopowitz also reflected on the partnership and the company’s contribution to the Blast.
“The Vitality Blast and Vitality IT20s have been a hugely important part of our partnership with the ECB. While later this year we say a fond farewell to being title sponsor of these competitions, we are incredibly proud of what we have achieved together, how the game has evolved and grown and for the Vitality Blast in particular, bringing the men and women’s competitions under the one name,” Koopowitz said.
Source: cricketaddictor.com
