They officially broke up. Ending all speculations, BCCI on Thursday suspended the IPL title sponsorship deal with the Chinese smartphone maker VIVO for the event’s upcoming edition amid soaring tensions between India and China.
BCCI was careful while announcing the news, without divulging too many details. They sent out a one-line statement saying that VIVO will not be associated with the IPL this year.
“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,” the press release stated.
VIVO won the IPL title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of Rs 440 crore per annum.
The move doesn’t come as a surprise as it was widely reported that the mobile manufacturing company had pulled out of the upcoming season given the public sentiment in India against Chinese brands and products.
The world’s richest cricket tournament was initially set to take place in from March 29 2020 but was suspended in the wake of coronavirus pandemic.
This is the third time that the Indian Premier League will be held outside of India. Previously the 2009 edition was held in South Africa, while the 2014 edition was partially held in UAE, both time because of LokSabha elections.
