WILL VIVO BE IPL'S TITLE SPONSOR FOR 2020? BCCI RELEASES OFFICIAL STATEMENT

After days of wait and discussion, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Chinese mobile manufacturing giant Vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd announced that they were ending their partnership for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 tournament.

The BCCI in a media release said "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 company, on its part, stated that the association is being paused.

"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have mutually decided to pause their partnership for the 2020 season of Indian Premier League," the statement further added.

This big news came days after the IPL Governing Council decided to retain the company as title sponsors as the 13th edition of IPL is scheduled to take place from September 19 to November 10 in the UAE.  

Last month, the move to retain Vivo by the BCCI had faced intense backlash; there were even appeals on social media over boycotting the league. In view of the negativity towards the Chinese brands in India, Vivo India was contemplating walking away from the upcoming IPL season. 

Vivo has been part of IPL title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of Rs 2190 crore, approximately Rs 440 crore per annum.