The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has decided to exit the partnership with Chinese mobile manufacturer Vivo as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League (IPL) once and for all and instead collaborate with one of India’s largest business conglomerates, the Tata Group. The decision was taken during a meeting held by the event’s governing council on Tuesday, January 11. The league will now be called Tata IPL.
Speaking about the decision of replacing the Chinese mobile company Vivo with Tatas as the title sponsor for the upcoming edition of the tournament, IPL chairman Brijesh Patel told Cricbuzz: “Vivo has exited and the Tatas will be title sponsors.”
“This is indeed a momentous occasion for the BCCI IPL as the Tata Group is the epitome of global Indian enterprise with an over 100-year-old legacy and operations in more than 100 countries across six continents. The BCCI like the TATA Group is keen to promote the spirit of cricket across international borders, and the growing popularity of the IPL as a global sporting franchise bears testimony to the BCCI’s efforts. We are truly happy that India’s largest and most trusted business groups have believed in the IPL growth story and together with the Tata Group, we will look to take Indian cricket and the IPL forward to greater heights,” Jay Shah, honorary secretary, BCCI, was quoted by TOI as saying.
According to reports, though the money associated with the deal is yet to be known, a Tata spokesperson also confirmed the development with a ‘Yes”. He did not divulge any further details regarding the deal.
Reportedly, the Chinese mobile brand, Vivo, had bagged the title sponsorship of the event in 2018 for ₹2,199 crores for a period of five years, which ended in the year 2022. They had agreed to pay the league around Rs 440 crore per season in the five-year arrangement. Vivo had earlier replaced the American carbonated behemoth PepsiCo to enter the title sponsorship space, after the latter backed out of a Rs 396-crore agreement in 2016. The IPL had then collected a 450 per cent premium from the entire arrangement.
BCCI and VIVO India cancel IPL partnership amidst violent standoff at Ladakh
Following the violent standoff at Ladakh which started in May 2019, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and VIVO Mobile India Pvt Ltd had suspended their partnership for the 2020 IPL tournament. The decision came days after Indians across called for a boycott of Chinese brands and products after the aggression at Galwan Valley in Ladakh from the Chinese Army and the violent faceoff wherein Indian soldiers were martyred.
Despite rumours that they were looking to sell the rights to a potential bidder, Vivo had returned as IPL title sponsor in 2021.