NEW DELHI: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev promoted Patanjali Ayurveda Pvt Ltd will be bidding for the title sponsorship for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The decision came after the anti-China backlash which forced the Board of Cricket Council of India (BCCI) and Chinese smartphone maker Vivo to mutually annul the sponsorship association for 13th edition of the T20 tournament being held in UAE from 16 September, reported Live Mint.
BCCI is likely to announce the tournament’s new title sponsor by 18 August with a seven-day window for interested companies to submit the bid. The board is expected to offer 20% to 30% discount on the current sponsorship price pegged at ₹440 crore owing to challenging market conditions.
That Patanjali has expressed interest in IPL was first reported by The Economic Times newspaper on Monday.
Patanjali is no stranger to sports sponsorship but this would be the first time the company is planning to bid for a cricket property. As per its nationalist and homegrown brand ethos, it has been associated with non-cricket indigenous sports.
Patanjali had bagged co-presenting rights for the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016 and has also sponsored season two of Pro Wrestling League.
