The anti-China sentiment has seen the exit of China’s premier mobile handset manufacturer as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League.
Now there is a possibility that the “atmanirbhar Bharat” can see a top “swadeshi” brand bidding for the rights.
The name of Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali group has emerged as one of the contenders for the IPL 2020 title rights. Business daily Economic Times has reported that Patanjali is considering to bid for the rights.
Amazon, Dream11, Unacademy and Byju’s were being seen as the frontrunners for the rights relinquished by the Chinese company.
The BCCI last week had confirmed that Vivo rights for the IPL 2020 were suspended following an amicable understanding between the company and the board.
“We are considering the IPL title sponsorship for this year since we want to give the Patanjali brand a global marketing platform,” Patanjali spokesperson SK Tijarawala has told the daily.
The company will reportedly submit a formal proposal to the BCCI.
SportzFront has learned that IPL Chief Executive Hemang Amin was in discussion with brands even as it was said that the BCCI will soon initiate the tender process for the sale of the IPL 2020 sponsorship rights.
Patanjali in the past had been the Pro Wrestling League title sponsor. An association with the IPL can give the Indian health, nutrition, Ayurveda and consumer goods brand international recognition.
“Patanjali as a title sponsor for IPL will do more for Patanjali than for IPL. While the caste hierarchy among brands could play out, Patanjali owning the title sponsorship would be contextual from a nationalist perspective, since there is an enormous anti-China sentiment prevailing in the country,” brand strategist Harish Bijoor has told News18 website.
IPL Season 13 has been finalised from September 18 to November 10 in the UAE.
The BCCI is expected to get up to ₹ 250 crores from the IPL 2020 title sponsorship deal. A setback of up to 40% on the ₹ 440-crore commitment made by the Vivo is feared due to the adverse economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.