Tendulkar signs $17m contract with WorldTel

Star batsman Sachin Tendulkar has signed a five-year contract worth 800 million rupees ($17 million) with sports management company WorldTel, an unnamed cricket industry source told Reuters on Wednesday.

Bangalore-based WorldTel will handle the 28-year-old's commercial endorsements and marketing activities for the next five years.

Tendulkar signed a five-year deal worth 300 million rupees with WorldTel in October 1995.

"During the last five years, our appreciation of Sachin has grown leaps and bounds. This is not just because of his performance on the field, it's also about him off the field," the company said in a statement.

Tendulkar, widely regarded as the world's leading batsman, is one of the best-known faces in cricket-crazy India.

The only player to score 10,000 one-day international runs, he already endorses products ranging from credit cards to health drinks.

"There's been considerable speculation in the market but the break from a busy cricket schedule has given us the opportunity to cement our relationship," the statement quotes Tendulkar as saying.

Mail Cricket Editor