After staying low during Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) season, Chinese phone brand Vivo is back as the title sponsor for the IPL 2021 edition. IPL chairman Brijesh Patel confirmed the same during his initial address at the player auction ceremony in Chennai on Thursday.
Vivo had to step down as the title sponsor for the IPL 13 due to intense anti-China sentiment last year following a border clash between Indian and Chinese army at Galwan valley, where 20 Indian army personnel were killed in the face-off.
Fantasy sports platform Dream11 became the title sponsor for IPL2020. It had struck a one-year deal for ₹222 crore as the title sponsor, lower than Vivo’s ₹2,190 crore deal for five years which amounted for a yearly breakup to around ₹440 crore. Many believed Dream11 would have retained the title sponsorship for the 14th edition of IPL scheduled to be held between April 11 and June 6, 2021.
However, Brijesh Patel made it clear during the IPL auction on February 18 in Chennai that Vivo will be staying in the league.