BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal sees no problem with VIVO as a sponsor of IPL

Anti-China sentiments are moving high in India following the border clash between the two countries at Galwan valley beginning this week. The first battle at the India-China border in more than four decades left at least 20 Indian soldiers dead.

The Indian government reacted by asking the BSNL and MTNL not to use Chinese equipment while upgrading its 4G facilities.

Social media is already abuzz with supporters calling for BCCI to remove Vivo, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, as the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League.

Since then, proposals have been presented to boycott Chinese products. But Arun Dhumal stated Chinese companies sponsoring an Indian event like the IPL only serve his country’s interests. The BCCI receives Rs 440 crore annually from Vivo, and the five-year deal ends in 2022.

“When you talk emotionally, you tend to leave the rationale behind. We have to understand the difference between supporting a Chinese company for a Chinese cause or taking help from a Chinese company to support India’s cause,” Dhumal told PTI.

For the record, Vivo retained the title sponsorship rights for the IPL previous year for a massive Rs 2,199 crore over five years.

“When we are allowing Chinese companies to sell their products in India, whatever money they are taking from Indian consumers, they are paying part of it to the BCCI (as brand promotion), and the board is paying 42 percent tax on that money to the Indian government. So, that is supporting India’s cause and not China’s,” he argued.

Oppo, a Smartphone brand like Vivo, was sponsoring the Indian cricket team until September last year when Bengaluru-based educational technology Byju’s start-up replaced the Chinese company Oppo Brand.

“BCCI has formed the infrastructure of thousands of crores in the country. If a Chinese company is making money from the Indian consumer and giving it to the BCCI, which in turn is giving a 40 percent tax to the government, then I think we are supporting the Indian cause,” Dhumal stressed.

“If they are not supporting the IPL, they are likely to take that money back to China. If that money is retained here, we should be happy about it. We are supporting our government with that money (by paying taxes on it).

“If I am presenting a contract to a Chinese company to build a cricket stadium, then I am supporting the Chinese economy. GCA built the world’s largest cricket stadium at Motera, and that contract was presented to an Indian company (L&T),” he said.

Dhumal went on to say the BCCI is spoilt for options when it comes to attracting sponsors, whether Indian or Chinese or from any other nation.

“If there is a directive from the government that no Chinese product or services will be provided in the country, BCCI will be happy to adhere to it. But in the absence of any such order and if that money is being used in India, and for the betterment of Indian cricket, then I don’t see any issue with it.”

Yesterday IPL Offical handle tweeted that they will discuss the sponsorship of iPL 2020 this upcoming week.

Here is the tweet, “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.”