The Indian Premier League (IPL) will review various sponsorship deals in its Governing Council meeting next week. The meeting has been called amid the massive outbreak to stop using Chinese products and sever business ties with Chinese companies.
The BCCI gets Rs 440 crore annually from Vivo – the principal sponsor of the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) – in a five-year deal that ends in 2022.
Another Chinese mobile brand, Oppo, was the main sponsor of the Indian cricket team till September last year when Bengaluru-based educational technology firm Byju’s replaced it.
Taking to its official Twitter handle, IPL informed, “Taking note of the border skirmish that resulted in the martyrdom of our brave jawans, the IPL Governing Council has convened a meeting next week to review IPL’s various sponsorship deals.”
Taking note of the border skirmish that resulted in the martyrdom of our brave jawans, the IPL Governing Council has convened a meeting next week to review IPL’s various sponsorship deals 🇮🇳
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) June 19, 2020
However, earlier on Friday, the BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal had informed that the board would continue its partnership with the Chinese company.
“When you talk emotionally, you tend to leave the rationale behind. We have to understand the difference between supporting a Chinese company for a Chinese cause or taking help from Chinese company to support India’s cause,” Dhumal was quoted as saying by PTI.
“When we are allowing Chinese companies to sell their products in India, whatever money they are taking from Indian consumer, they are paying part of it to the BCCI (as brand promotion) and the board is paying 42 per cent tax on that money to the Indian government. So, that is supporting India’s cause and not China’s,” he argued
BCCI Joint Secretary Jayesh George had also commented that the cricket board would continue its association with the Chinese company. George had opined that it would be a loss for the world’s richest cricket board to end its relationship with the Chinese company and it might also invite penal action.