NEW DELHI : It must appear to Star India like it never rains but pours. One World Cup match involving India (against New Zealand) has already been rained out. Now the weatherman is predicting rain on Sunday when India plays Pakistan—a massive dampener not only for millions of cricket fans, but for the official broadcast partner too.

A strong possibility of rain spells a possible washout of the much-awaited match at Old Trafford. According to Accuweather, spotty showers are expected over the cricket stadium on Sunday. That could translate into heavy losses for Star India, which expected to earn close to ₹100 crore in ad revenue from the match.

Star might end up incurring losses upwards of ₹50 crore as the insurance covers only a certain percentage of the sum assured.

A person in the know said Star would have an insurance cover “but like all insurance it cannot give the same return as an original event can give".

“In the World Cup, matches involving India, Australia, Pakistan and South Africa are important. If they get affected and the event is not able to maintain the tempo and excitement, there is a chance that advertisers may reduce their commitments," he said.

Star India declined to divulge details on insurance cover and a possible revenue loss in case of a washout. The International Cricket Council (ICC) could not be reached for comment.

Star India has pinned high hopes on the India-Pakistan match, charging more than a 50% premium on last-minute ad spot buying, with 10-second ad slot rates touching ₹25 lakh. It has been selling ad packages (including television and Hotstar) of India matches for ₹16-18 lakh, compared with the ₹5 lakh per 10 seconds it charges for ads shown during non-India matches.

“For a broadcaster it is a serious loss if an India match get partially or fully rained out, especially when we are playing against Pakistan after a long period," said Sandeep Goyal, chairman of Mogae Media, a Mumbai-based marketing and communication agency. “In terms of ticket money a lot of fans buy tickets in black, paying a premium, which adds to losses and disappointment among fans."

High-profile events such as the IPL and the ICC World Cup are usually covered by insurance plans, the premiums for which could go as high as ₹40 crore.

“The sum insured for such events can range between ₹5 crore and ₹50 crore per match on average. Since it is a global large-scale event, the sum insured would be on a higher side," said Sanjay Datta, chief–underwriting and claims, ICICI Lombard General Insurance.

Industry experts said for the 2018 IPL, the sum assured for each match was about ₹40 crore and the premium ranged from ₹20- ₹25 crore.

“Although both Star India and ICC will be protected by insurance cover, my sense is that it would be a restricted one with huge deductibles and co-sharing payment clause," said Abhishek Bondia, principal officer and managing director, SecureNow.in.

Experts say that since the weather forecast for the India-Pakistan match would have been known for a long time, the insurance company would have factored that in the cover —including a stringent clause around the amount of rain for the cover to kick in, forcing the parties to bear heavy losses.

If rain plays spoilsport on Sunday, the India-Pakistan match would be the fifth to be called off due to bad weather in this edition of the World Cup.

It would be a big disappointment for 80,000 Indians who have travelled to the UK for the event. Rains have forced the cancellation of four ties so far—India vs New Zealand, Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, South Africa vs West Indies and Pakistan vs Sri Lanka.

With forecasts of more rain next week and no reserve day for group matches, ICC finds itself in a tough spot. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly suggests that light covers—the sort used in Eden Gardens—should be used for matches in England too, so that when the rain stops, the match can resume within a few minutes.

Disha Sanghvi contributed to this story.

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