IPL 13: Title sponsor association with Vivo for 2020 suspended, BCCI to invite new tender

New Delhi : 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 with title sponsors Vivo. This comes after the IPL Governing Council had on Sunday decided to retain the company as title sponsors. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will now invite bids through a tender process for IPL 2020 in the next few days.

Sources says that the BCCI will follow due diligence and transparency while recruiting a new title sponsor for IPL 13.

"BCCI will come out with the ITB soon. Tender process will be followed as the board believes in transparency," the source said.

Under the Invitation to Bid (ITB), the winning bidder will be granted title sponsorship rights for this year's IPL season set to be played in the UAE from September 19 to November 10.

Earlier on Thursday, BCCI decided to officially announce the suspension of the partnership with title sponsors Vivo. The move comes after the BCCI and the IPL Governing Council were both criticised for retaining Vivo as the title sponsor amid raging anti-China sentiment.

"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," BCCI said in a media release.

The move to retain Vivo on Sunday had seen a lot of backlash and there were even trends on social media about boycotting the league and the BCCI felt that it was in national interest to suspend the sponsorship deal as fan sentiments are a priority for the board.

The government has already banned 59 Chinese mobile apps, placed stringent restrictions on Chinese investments, and is reviewing the partnerships Indian educational institutions have with Chinese counterparts.

All this development took place in the backdrop of tensions between the two countries along the LAC in Ladakh where a scuffle between the two armies resulted in the death of 20 Indian soldiers in June.

Earlier on Monday, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which is spearheading a movement for boycott of Chinese goods, had 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.

They also had said that the Centre had taken several steps to reduce the country's dependence on China, which included a ban on 59 Chinese apps, rejecting partnership of Chinese companies in railways and highway projects. Under such a scenario, BCCI's decision smacked of utter disregard for the government policy, involving Chinese companies, they said.

[ Inputs from various sources ]