Mumbai, May 23: Kishore Biyani’s Future Group will bat for Team India as sponsor.

Biyani — who controls the Pantaloons and Big Bazaar chains — has paid Rs 7 crore ($1.8 million) for the contract.

The deal will cover three ODIs that India will play in Belfast against South Africa and Ireland in June and July. The fixtures will be called “Future Cup”.

“We will get $600,000 (Rs 2.5 crore) for each ODI from the sponsors,” BCCI vice-president and marketing committee chief Lalit Modi said today.

The deal will also cover the July 3 ODI against Pakistan in Scotland.

Today’s outcome could be a relief to the cricket board, which had seen advertisers and sponsors shy away from the game after the Men In Blue’s World Cup debacle.

Modi admitted as much when he said: “There was a dip in sponsors’ interest after the World Cup, but we now expect a long association with the Future Group.”

But he didn’t say if he was happy with the figure of Rs 2.5 crore per match. The board was believed to have fixed Rs 2.45 crore as the base price for each encounter in Ireland. Until the World Cup, the rates went up to Rs 3 crore.

“We have not taken a cut. What we quoted, we got,” Modi said, trying to dispel the notion that the board had settled for less at a time when sponsors are hiding their wallets.

Biyani was convinced his game plan would pay off.

“There is no replacement for cricket when it comes to sponsorships. No other sport can replace it yet. Although the graph has gone down, we believe in the game’s future.”