Fantasy sports platform Dream 11 has bagged the rights to become the title sponsor of the upcoming 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), to be played between September 19 and November 10, 2020, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
News agency ANI in a report quoted IPL Governning Council chairman Brijesh Patel as confirming that Dream 11 has replaced VIVO – the earlier title sponsor of the cash-rich – and will pay BCCI a total sum of INR 222 crore.
“Dream 11 has won the title sponsorship for INR 222 crore,” ANI quoted Patel as saying.
On August 10, the BCCI had sent out invitations to third parties to expres their interest in acquiring the rights of the title sponsorship of IPL after it was made official that the Indian cricket board had cut its ties with VIVO.
“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,” BCCI said in a media release.
The decision was taken amid the huge outcry of banning Chinese products that has been in the air ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Indians to become atmanirbhar (self-reliant) and use ‘Made in India’ products.
But with Indian and Chinese troops engaging in stand-off at the border region in Ladakh, which resulted in the killing of 20 Indian soldiers, anti-China sentiment has become strongest in recent times.
Despite the uproar, the BCCI had initially decided to go with VIVO as the sponsors. However, after facing backlash from all sections of the country, the richest cricket board in the world had decided to rest its partnership with VIVO for this year’s edition of IPL.