BCCI on Thursday officially announced the exit of Chinese phone maker VIVO as the title sponsor of IPL 2020 via a statement. The decision seems to have been arrived at after the diplomatic tensions between India and China following violent clashes between their armies in Ladakh earlier this year.
A wave of boycotting Chinese products swept through India following the death of their soldiers with BCCI being criticized for not severing ties with VIVO. While the decision may pacify the critics, the board is left with a challenge to find a title sponsor in times of financial turmoil.
The deal with VIVO was around Rs 440 crore per annum for a period of five years and even if IPL manages to find a suitable sponsor, the deal is expected to be much lower which, industry experts say, will still be a win-win for BCCI.
The Times of India reports that e-commerce giant Amazon is leading the race to be the next title sponsor as they eye the lucrative festival season. However, the likes of learning app BYJU’s – Indian cricket team’s jersey sponsor – and fantasy app Dream11 are also eyeing the title rights.
“The BCCI is looking for partners today. If Byju’s decide to support the IPL today and rework the jersey sponsorship numbers going forward, it could be a win for them and BCCI,” TOI quoted sources as saying.
“That’s where there’s space for an Unacademy or a MyCircle11 to walk in as official partners. If Dream 11 takes the title, Unacademy can step in as official partners. If Byju’s take the title, MyCircle11 can come in. Brands won’t be conflicted,” the daily further quoted sources as saying.
The 13th season of IPL gets underway from September 19 in the UAE.
India’s COVID-19 tally reached 20,27,075 today, with 62,538 cases being reported in a day. Recoveries rose to 13,78,105 including 49,769 in the past 24 hours, according to the Union Health Ministry data. There are 6,07,384 active cases of coronavirus infection in the country presently while the recovery rate among COVID-19 patients has gone up to 67.62%.
This is the ninth consecutive day that COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 50,000. 886 patients succumbed to coronavirus infection in the past 24 hours, taking the overall death toll to 41,585.
