IND vs SA: Why does stand-in skipper KL Rahul's bat not have a sponsor?

The Indian team faced a setback after skipper Virat Kohli was ruled out of the second Test against South Africa at The Wanderers. With him not being part of the set-up, vice-captain KL Rahul was sent to the crease for the toss.

The batter's career has just been seeing an upward graph as he achieved new milestones when asked to lead the team in Johannesburg. However, when he came in to bat, fans observed that the stand-in skipper's bat has no sponsor sticker and started questioning about the same.

This is surely an uncommon sight with respect to an Indian Test captain batting without any sticker on his bat. So why was it missing during the Day 1 of the 2nd Test?

Rahul, who had signed a sponsorship deal with Meerut-based manufacturer SG (Sanspareils Greenlands), isn't using their bat in this innings. However, his batting gloves still have an 'SG' symbol on them. 

With no official update from either party, it wouldn't be wrong to assume that Rahul's bat deal with SG must have ended and hence, he is playing without a sponsor sticker.

IND vs SA:

Talking about cricket, Rahul wasn't even part of India's playing XI until a four-match Test series in England last year. Now, he hasn't just cemented his spot but also progressed to lead the Test team.

In fact, he has even been given the opportunity to captain the white-ball series against the same opponent later this month. With skipper Rohit Sharma not recovered from injury, Rahul will be leading the side along with fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who has been named as his deputy for the ODI and 2nd Test match.