New Delhi: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and Vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have officially decided to suspend their partnership for the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2020, an IPL media advisory stated. The 2020 IPL will be played from September 19 to November 10, as confirmed by the IPL Governing Council.

Vivo, a phone brand based in China, had acquired the IPL title sponsorship for Rs 2,199 crore in 2018 in a five-year deal. “We (BCCI and Vivo) sat after the governing council meeting and agreed on a one-year moratorium. We will also see if their contract can be extended by one year after 2023. This issue will be settled amicably,” a BCCI official had told the Indian Express after the IPL Governing Council meeting on August 2. An IPL council member had also confirmed the development and said, “We will issue a new RFP (Request For Proposal). The process will be very transparent,” the member said.

On the possibility of getting a new sponsor in such a short period, amid the Covid-19 distress, another council member said: “The IPL is the game’s most saleable product. Also, because of the pandemic, people are staying home, which means more eyeballs on TV.” “So if we can present our case properly, we will have takers. Already, they (senior board officials) are in talks with a couple of people,” he had said.

After the IPL’s governing council had said that it would continue with sponsors linked to China for this year’s tournament, the BCCI faced criticism from political leaders, organisations, and trade unions. National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah was among the first who took to Twitter on Sunday night and voiced his displeasure about the move. “Chinese cellphone makers will continue as title sponsors of the IPL while people are told to boycott Chinese products. It’s no wonder China is thumbing its nose at us when we are so confused about how to handle Chinese money/investment/sponsorship/advertising,” he wrote on Twitter.

Apart from VIVO as its title sponsor, IPL’s Chinese links include umpire partner Paytm, which has investments from Chinese online retailer Alibaba. Other sponsors include online fantasy league partner Dream 11 and food delivery service Swiggy — both of which have links to Chinese company Tencent.

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