India’s cricket board has suspended its Indian Premier League title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the 2020 tournament.
The decision comes as Indian troops are in a tense standoff with Chinese soldiers in eastern Ladakh in the Himalayas. In June, India banned 59 apps with Chinese links, saying their activities endanger the country’s sovereignty, defence and security.
“The Board of Control for Cricket in India and Vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020,” the Press Trust of India quoted a BCCI statement as saying.
Vivo had the title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for India’s lucrative Twenty20 league. The BCCI is now likely to float a tender for new IPL title sponsors, PTI reported.
The 2020 IPL season has been rescheduled and relocated to the United Arab Emirates because of the coronavirus pandemic in India. The league, which attracts star players from all over the world, is set to start September 19.