Vivo has pulled out as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League for this year’s tournament amid the ongoing tensions between India and China following the border skirmish.
The development comes after the IPL Governing Council’s Sunday decision to retain the Chinese company as the tournament sponsor suffered massive backlash on social media in view of the recent incidents at the Indo-China border.
The thirteenth edition of the cash-rich event will be played in United Arab Emirates from September 19 to November 10 in view of the coronavirus pandemic in India.
VIVO has informed the BCCI that they would pull out as IPL sponsor this year. However, BCCI is not sure if it would get a replacement which will pay Rs 440 crore this season.
Ever since the stand-off between India and China took place in the Galwan valley, the Indian government has taken some strict steps, including the banning of 59 Chinese apps in India. Soon after the start and the end dates of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 were announced, the focus shifted on the title sponsor of the lucrative event.
The BCCI was being criticized for retaining Vivo as the title sponsor. Cricket Age understands that the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had demanded that BCCI must reconsider the decision to allow Chinese phone makers Vivo to sponsor IPL given the strain in India-China ties following the standoff at the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Vivo, the title sponsors of IPL, signed a five-year deal with BCCI worth – 2199 crore in 2017.
Now, it will be a huge blow for the Indian board to find a new sponsor in the current scenario.
