Confusion over Vivo’s IPL pullout
I AM NOT EXACTLY AWARE OF DEVELOPMENTS, DHUMAL SAYS
Atop official of the Indian cricket board denied any knowledge of Vivo, the Chinese mobile phone manufacturers, pulling out as title-sponsors of Indian Premier League (IPL) even as media reports sent the IPL franchises on a panic mode yesterday.
Unconfirmed reports said Vivo has pulled out as the title sponsors for this year’s edition ‘‘following backlash on social media.’’
‘‘I am not exactly aware of the development as there had been a bereavement in my family. You can check about it with Brijesh Patel (the IPL chairman) or Hemang Amin (COO of IPL),’’ Arun Dhumal, treasurer of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, told Gulf News. The two senior BCCI officials could not be reached over phone.
The IPL, meanwhile, had been facing a severe flak from certain quarters ever since it decided to retain Vivo as their title-sponsors, a deal which is worth to the tune of Dh220 million per season and runs till 2022.
A nationalist group threatened to call a boycott of the IPL, picking up a wave of anti-Chinese sentiment after a clash on the border between the neighbours’ armies in which 20 Indian soldiers died.
The IPL said after the June 15 clash that it would review its sponsorship deal, though sources in the BCCI said it would have raised legal implications to abandon the relationship midway.
Utter disregard
After repeatedly delaying the tournament because of the coronavirus pandemic, the IPL is eventually scheduled to start in the UAE on September 19 but sparked anger by making no mention of changing the sponsorship.
The Confederation of All India Traders, which claims 70 million small business members, said the Indian government should block the IPL tournament for showing
“utter disregard” to public anger over the border deaths.
Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM), the cultural arm of the influential Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) threatened a boycott of the IPL unless the Chinese sponsor was dropped.
“We want to urge the IPL organisers to reconsider their stand on sponsorship by Chinese companies,” said an SJM statement. “Please remember the nation’s pride and security above all,” it added.
Meanwhile, defending champions Mumbai Indians have laid out their own safety protocols before leaving for the UAE. “The domestic players have started to arrive and they all are sent into a 14-day quarantine wherein the only time they are allowed to exit the room is when they need to get their test done. Apart from that, all facilities are being provided inside the rooms,’’ a Mumbai Indians official was quoted by IANS.