The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) late on Friday evening said it would review IPL’s sponsorship deals with companies that have a Chinese association. An urgent meeting of its governing council has been called next week.
“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,” the IPL tweeted.
It remains to be seen if the BCCI decides to terminate its contract with title sponsors Vivo, a Chinese cellphone company that clinched a 5-year deal in 2017 for Rs 2,199 crore, almost Rs 440 crore a year.
Earlier in the day, BCCI treasurer Arun Singh Dhumal had questioned whether dropping Vivo would serve any purpose. “People are naturally emotional but we have to differentiate — whether it’s helping the Chinese companies, or their sponsorship is helping India’s cause,” Dhumal was quoted as saying. “Rather than the money going back to China, if that’s retained here as sponsorship money, and I’m able to pay tax to the government, that’s helping India’s cause, isn’t it?”
Apart from Vivo, PayTm is one of the sponsors. The company has Alibaba, a Chinese MNC, as one of its investors.
