The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has officially ended the title sponsorship deal with Vivo for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League.

  • Vivo had signed a new deal with BCCI for title sponsorship of IPL in 2017 for 5 years
  • The BCCI has now suspended the deal for the upcoming edition
  • The Indian board confirmed the news in a statement

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 Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020,” the release stated.

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.

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 criticised 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.

In the letter, CAIT national president B.C. Bhartia and secretary general Praveen Khandelwal said at a time when Chinese aggression on Indian borders gave rise to the anti-China sentiments in India, BCCI’s decision was contrary to the broad government policy.

Citing the cancellation of events, like Olympics and Wimbledon due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they said the BCCI decision must be condemned. The BCCI’s move reflected its greed for money, it said.