Airtel wins India corporate sponsorship rights for 3 years at a price of Rs 3.33 Crores

Bharti Airtel - India's largest telecom company, has won the corporate sponsorship rights for all international series played in India for the next three years. Airtel won the bid at a cost of Rs 3.33 ($707,545) crores per match, which covers Tests, ODIs and Twenty20 games.

Airtel outbid 10other companies on their way to win the race, including Idea Cellular, the telecom company from the Birla group, and cell phone makers Karbonn Mobile and MicroMax. It is the first time international cricket in India will have a regular tournament and series sponsor, like England does with nPower or Australia with Vodafone.

Airtel is also the lead sponsor for the Champions League Twenty20, having paid a reported Rs 170 crore ($36 million) for a five-year period. The company also bid for the rights to sponsor the Indian team earlier this year, but lost out to the Sahara Group.