IPL Not To Sever Ties With Title Sponsor Vivo As BCCI Retains Sponsors With Chinese Investments Amid Stand-Off At LAC

The IPL Governing Council which met on Sunday decided to stay put with its the flagship T20 leagues title sponsor Vivo, a Chinese mobile manufacturing giant and other companies like Paytm and Dream11 which also have Chinese investments.

In a significant development amidst the ongoing stand-off between the troops of India and China at the Line of Actual Control at the Ladakh sector, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Sunday decided to continue with their sponsorship commitments with all sponsors of the Indian Premier League (IPL) including the Chinese brands. The IPL Governing Council which met on Sunday decided to stay put with its the flagship T20 leagues title sponsor Vivo, a Chinese mobile manufacturing giant and other companies like Paytm and Dream11 which also have Chinese investments. The decision taken by the Indian Cricket Board is quite contrary to the sentiments echoed by millions of Indian citizens over boycotting China at all front following the brutal assault by the PLA soldiers on our troops deployed along the LAC at Galwan Valley, which resulted in 20 brave-hearts including a Army Colonel getting martyred. While there were growing voices both within the sporting fraternity and the nation at large for the BCCI to terminate the sponsorship contracts with Chinese firms, the Indian Board decided to continue with the sponsors keeping the sponsorship agreement in mind. A Governing Council member confirmed that the board decided to retain the sponsors as it is difficult to find new sponsors during these testing times. "All I can say is that all our sponsors are with us. Hopefully, you can read between the lines," a Governing Council member was quoted as saying by PTI. Vivo had signed a five-year deal with the BCCI as the major sponsor of the league worth Rs 2,199 crores in 2017. BCCI's contracts with Vivo and other Chinese brands run into thousands of crores.