Ganguly strikes Rs 50-cr deal

Indian Captain Saurav Ganguly has signed a Rs 50-crore deal with celeb management firm Percept D’Mark that would handle all non-cricket commercial interests over the next five years, till 2008.
Percept and Ganguly have smoked the peace pipe after a bitter end to their five-year contract when the celeb management company went to the courts to enforce first right of refusal for a further extension of the contract.
Senior executives from Percept D’ Mark said that it plans to hardsell Ganguly in the international market, apart from endorsing new product categories like automobiles, telecom, banking & finance and FMCG products.
Among the leading brands currently endorsed by Ganguly include Pepsi and Hero Honda.
This deal marks a major leg up for the Indian captain as a brand endorser, even though batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar still leads the list of the most sought after sporting icon – commercially - in the country with a Rs 100-crore deal with WorldTel.