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.

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The move came at a time when the world is battling the coronavirus pandemic and it would be a major challenge for BCCI to find a new title sponsor.

VIVO had signed the deal in 2017 and was paying Rs 440 annually as the title sponsor of the lucrative tournament.

The IPL is played in the UAE from September 19 to November 10. At short notice, it is almost impossible to find other sponsors who would promise that amount from one year.

There was a huge outrage in different parts of the country ever since 20 Indian soldiers were killed in the violent clash between India and China in the Galwan valley recently. Following the incident the Indian government banned 59 Chinese apps in India.

Once the IPL dates were confirmed, the focus shifted to the tournament’s title sponsor, the Chinese mobile giant VIVO.

According to reports, the Chinese company took the decision to avoid bad publicity.

Apart from VIVO, IPL has seen Chinese smartphones brands, Oppo, Xiaomi, Realme and OnePlus taking up prime slots. They spend nearly Rs 500 crore annually.

Interestingly, Duff & Phelps in 2019 had valued the IPL ecosystem at Rs 47,500 crore.

It has been reported that Vivo might return as the title sponsor in 2021 and the deal might be continued till 2023. At the moment, the biggest challenge for the Indian board is to find a new title sponsor with the 13th edition all set to kick off in UAE from September 18.

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