Suspension of sponsorship can’t be deemed as financial crisis: Ganguly

‘BCCI has a very strong foundation and this is just a minor blip’

Sourav Ganguly, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has said that the suspension of Indian Premier League's (IPL) title sponsorship with Vivo cannot be termed as a financial crisis for the board.

Ganguly also said that the suspension of the title sponsorship with Vivo is just a minor blip, but the whole incident cannot be deemed as a financial crisis.

His remark came as BCCI and Vivo suspended their title sponsorship for this year's IPL on Thursday.

"I wouldn't call it a financial crisis. It's just a little bit of a blip. And the only way you can do it is by being professionally strong over a period of time. Big things don't come overnight. And big things don't go away overnight. Your preparation for a long period of time gets you ready for losses, gets you ready for successes," ESPNCricinfo quoted Ganguly as saying during a webinar organised by Learnflix, an education app in India.

"You keep your other options open. It is like Plan A and Plan B. Sensible people do it. Sensible brands do it. Sensible corporates do it. BCCI, it's a very strong foundation - the game, the players, the administrators in the past have made this game so strong that BCCI is able to handle all these blips," he added.

On Thursday, the BCCI and Vivo had announced the suspension of their partnership for the 2020 IPL.

There has been a huge outcry for boycotting Chinese products after 20 Indian Army personnel, including a Colonel, were killed in the violent face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in June.

The 2020 IPL will be played in the UAE from September 19-November 10 and the tournament will run for 53 days.