BCCI dials Tata for Vistara to fly all teams to UAE for IPL 2020 on chartered flights

The current season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) is all set to be played in the United Arab Emirates due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. Keeping safety protocols in mind, the BCCI decided that players and coaching staff of all the eight IPL teams will be travelling by chartered flights. Teams such as Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab have already landed in UAE thanks to chartered flights arranged by the Tata Group-owned airline Vistara, while Mumbai Indians, CSK and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be flying out on Friday.

Also Read: IPL 2020 Confirms New Logo After Officially Declaring Dream11 As Title Sponsors

IPL 2020: Vistara to fly all IPL teams to the UAE 

Vistara is a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines and according to a report in Moneycontrol.com, the representative of the airline said that Vistara is doing a one-way charter for all the teams, which would be to either Dubai or Abu Dhabi, according to their schedule.  According to the report, another representative from the aviation industry said that Vistara was chosen to charter the teams because the BCCI mandated business class seats for certain players and coaches.

Also Read: After IPL 2020 Title Sponsor Rights, Tata To Lose Out On Medical Services Rights Too?

The report further states that for Vistara, the contract to charter IPL 2020 teams will a good push as all airlines are vying for any opportunity to improve cash flows. The airline recently announced it will operate special, non-stop flights between Delhi and London from August 28 to September 30 this year, marking its foray in long-haul international operations.

Also Read: RCB Chairman Admits More Pressure On Team Due To No IPL Win, Hails Virat Kohli's Loyalty

Tata IPL deal: Indian corporate giants extends association with IPL through Vistara

Earlier, the Tata Group had expressed their interest in acquiring the title sponsorship rights for the IPL 2020 but the rights were finally given to Dream11. Recently, The Times of India reported that Tata IPL deal did not work out since the BCCI did not meet their set of conditions. The report further states that the reason behind the Tata IPL deal failing was because the company wanted to block three categories (brand names under the group) but the BCCI allows space for only a single-brand activity under the title sponsorship rights, which did not work in the favour of the Tata Group.

However, the Ratan Tata-led Indian corporate giants are set to continue as the IPL 2020's official partners as it has over the years.

Also Read: CAIT Writes To BCCI Opposing IPL Title Sponsor

IPL 2020: BCCI makes Dream11 IPL sponsors 

Indian fantasy sports platform Dream11 was announced as the title sponsors for the IPL 2020 earlier this week. The IPL sponsors slot was left vacant after Chinese company VIVO had backed out of their IPL 2020 commitment. The BCCI's search for IPL sponsors finally ended when Dream11 submitted a bid of ₹222 crore, beating competition from other probable IPL sponsors like Unacademy and BYJU's.

(COVER IMAGE: MUMBAI INDIANS / TWITTER)