BCCI suspends Vivo as IPL title sponsor for 2020 officially

Mumbai:The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday confirmed the suspension of Chinese mobile manufacturer Vivo's sponsorship for the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2020 amid rising tensions between India and China over border dispute.

''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 BCCI said in a statement.Vivo, a mobile company based in China, had acquired the IPL title sponsorship for Rs 2,199 crore in 2018 in a five-year deal.

Continuing with Chinese sponsorship became a topic for debate after the clashes between the Indian and Chinese troops in the Galwan Valley in June. Also, calls for boycotting Chinese products intensified.Later, the BCCI had announced that it would review the IPL's sponsorship deals.

However, the IPL Governing Council on Sunday announced retaining all the sponsors, including Vivo.The announcement resulted in BCCI facing a huge backlash from political leaders, organisations, traders unions and social media users.

As per reports, the BCCI is already in talks with a couple of Indian companies who are believed to be interested in one-year sponsorship deal.

IPL 2020 will be played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 19 as COVID-19 cases are still on rise in India.The Indian government has already banned 59 Chinese mobile applications.(UNI)