New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS): Global payments and technology company Mastercard on Monday replaced mobile payments and financial services company Paytm, who held the rights for seven years, as the title sponsor for all of India's international matches (both women and men) held at home.

The deal also includes domestic cricket matches and prestigious tournaments like Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy, and Ranji Trophy organized by the BCCI apart from all junior cricket (Under 19 and Under 23) matches held in India.

"The BCCI welcomes Mastercard as the Title Sponsor for home cricket matches for the 2022-23 season. Along with the international home series, the BCCI's domestic tournaments are crucial as they are a stepping stone towards making India a strong international side."

"The BCCI truly values Mastercard's support in building Indian cricket. This sport is more than a passion point, it's a way of life and we look forward to some innovative experiences for the fans via this partnership and delivering value to Mastercard through this collaboration," said BCCI President Sourav Ganguly.

In August 2019, Paytm had won the title sponsorship rights for 2019-23 home season. The winning bid by Paytm was at a price of RS 326.80 Crores, which came to Rs 3.8 crores per match. Paytm had first signed a title sponsorship deal with the BCCI in 2015 for Rs 203 crores for four years, paying Rs 2.4 crores per match.

"The BCCI is pleased to associate with a global marquee brand - Mastercard. We are in for an exciting period in Indian Cricket as we have Australia and South Africa coming over for white-ball series before the T20 World Cup and Sri Lanka, New Zealand and the prestigious Border-Gavaskar Trophy early next year while domestic cricket has a packed calendar with the return of the Duleep Trophy and a full-fledged Ranji Trophy season. The 2022-23 season will witness a lot of action across age groups and I am confident that this will be an enriching partnership," said BCCI Secretary Jay Shah.

MS Dhoni, the former India captain and wicketkeeper, who has been Mastercard's brand ambassador for over four years, said, "Cricket has been my life and given me everything I have. I am thrilled that Mastercard is sponsoring all the home cricket matches of the BCCI, and especially the domestic, junior and women's cricket. The Ranji and junior players of today will play for the country tomorrow and continue to embody the pride of 1.3 billion Indians."

Mastercard's title sponsorship deal will start from India's three T20Is against Australia in September. "Cricket is a perfect amalgamation of sports and entertainment with immense potential to deliver priceless moments. Our globally recognized "Priceless" platform offers us the unique opportunity to delight our cardholders, customers and partners worldwide."

"Cricket enjoys unparalleled popularity not just in India where it is a singular unifying force for the nation, but also in several countries around the world. It is therefore particularly relevant and opportune for us to have acquired the title sponsor rights for all home international and domestic cricket matches organized by the BCCI," said Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Mastercard.