Chinese sponsor back in place for three years

MUMBAI: Chinese smartphone makers Vivo are back in the IPL fold, after taking a break in title sponsorship for a year. The announcement was made by IPL Chairman Brijesh Patel at the mini-auction in Chennai on Thursday. “I am happy to announce that Vivo is back on board with us. This edition of the league will be known as the Vivo Indian Premier League. Welcome back team Vivo,” he said.

It has been reliably learnt that Vivo’s return is not just for this edition but the five-year contract, which was in place earlier, has been reinforced. Effectively, Vivo will continue as IPL title sponsors for three more years at ₹440 crore per year.

This spells good news for BCCI. It had to take a 50 % cut on sponsorship money last year after mutually breaking ties with Vivo temporarily. The anti-china sentiment in the country due to the border situation ahead of the winter IPL made it impossible for both parties to continue.

Subsequently, BCCI decided that the contract would not be terminated. “The BCCI and Vivo Mobile India Pvt. Ltd. have decided to suspend their partnership for the Indian Premier League in 2020,” BCCI said in an unsigned media release. Vivo was replaced by Dream 11, which bagged the title rights for only ₹222 crore when IPL moved to the UAE last year. Following record viewership numbers for the 2020 edition, BCCI and Vivo have decided to join hands again. “When BCCI needed to act as per sentiment of the country, we acted last year,” BCCI Treasurer Arun Dhumal said when asked if the anti-china sentiment was factored in by the board.