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The hunt is on for fresh IPL sponsor

Dubai - The anti-China sentiment following the border clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in June has forced the BCCI and Vivo to take this unusual step

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is set to invite bids through a tender process for the title sponsorship of this season's Indian Premier League (IPL) after the Indian board and Vivo suspended their partnership on Thursday.
Just a few days after the IPL governing council had held a review and decided to retain the tournament's sponsors, the BCCI has been forced on the defensive and has had to step back following a massive backlash.
The BCCI had signed a lucrative five-year deal with Vivo in 2017 worth $330 million but that sponsorship has now hit a hurdle just before the delayed start to this year's 13th edition.
The anti-China sentiment following the border clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in June has forced the BCCI and Vivo to take this unusual step.
"The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020," the BCCI said in a statement on Thursday. It is being said that the BCCI will release the Invitation To Bid (ITB) in the coming days and the winning bidder will be granted the title sponsorship rights for this season. This season's tournament, which had been postponed from March, will be hosted by the UAE from September 19 to November 10.
Meanwhile, some of the franchises have already got down to initiating their own Covid-19 protocols ahead of their departure to the UAE.
As per the IPL governing council guidelines, teams are allowed to travel only after August 20. The eight franchises are keen to hold their training camps in the UAE ahead of the tournament.
Mumbai Indians, the most successful team with four titles, have begun the quarantine process for their Indian players in a hotel in India's financial capital Mumbai. Regular Covid-19 tests have been scheduled for the players after which they will be allowed to practice at their training base at the Reliance Corporate Park in Ghansoli in New Mumbai.
And while the Mumbai Indians have already set things in motion, inaugural champions the Rajasthan Royals will conduct Covid-19 tests for their players and support staff over the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, one other franchise has told its Indian players to home quarantine before they undergo Covid-19 tests.
Earlier, the IPL governing council had sent out a 16-page draft of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) where they said that players and support staff will have to undergo six days of quarantine upon arrival in the UAE.
IPL governing council chairman Brijesh Patel had told the Khaleej Times last month that a tight bio-secure bubble will be in place and they will follow the guidelines set by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for the safe resumption of cricket.
"We will follow what the ICC has recommended and we are also looking at other sports, what they are doing. We will see that the safety of the players, the support staff and broadcasters are taken care of," Patel had said.
The governing council is set to hold a meeting with the eight franchises via video conference on Friday regarding the SOPs.