With 44 days left for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to suspend the partnership sponsorship deal with Vivo. This comes after the IPL Governing Council had on Sunday decided to retain the company as title sponsors. BCCI and Chinese mobile giants Vivo have officially decided to suspend their partnership for the 13th edition of IPL, an IPL media advisory stated.
Ending all speculations, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday official suspended the title sponsorship for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 with Vivo. Vio, which signed a deal with the BCCI in 2017 for a five-year period, paid the Indian board a huge sum of Rs 440 crore as title sponsor of the lucrative tournament.
The move doesn’t come as a surprise as it was widely reported that the mobile-manufacturer had pulled out of the upcoming season given the public sentiment in India against Chinese brands and products after the stand-off between India and China in the Galwan valley recently – where 20 Indian soldiers attained martyrdom.
The move to retain Vivo on Sunday had seen a lot of backlashes and there were even trends on social media about boycotting the league and the BCCI felt that it was in the national interest to suspend the sponsorship deal as fan sentiments are a priority for the board.
Earlier on Monday, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which is spearheading a movement for a boycott of Chinese goods, also criticized BCCI’s decision to retain VIVO, the Chinese company, as IPL’s title sponsor. “We have sent a communication to Amit Shah and S. Jaishankar, demanding not to give approval to the BCCI for holding the IPL in Dubai,” the CAIT said.
It had also been reported that Vivo will return as the title sponsor for 2021 and will continue to be IPL’s title sponsor till 2023. The BCCI was under the scanner after Vivo was retained as the title sponsor after the IPL Governing Council meeting which took place on August 2.
The challenge for the Indian board now is to find a new sponsor with the tournament set to be held in UAE from September 18. Given the popularity of the tournament, there are chances that the Indian board might find a new sponsor. It remains to be seen whether the sponsor manages to match the amount BCCI received from Vivo every year. Earlier on Monday, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which is spearheading a movement for boycott of Chinese goods, also criticized BCCI’s decision to retain VIVO, the Chinese company, as IPL’s title sponsor.
