Dream11 as IPL 2020 title sponsor not in line with PM's 'Atma Nirbhar' call: CAB secretary

Online fantasy sports company Dream11 was named the title sponsor of the Indian Premier League for 2020 on Tuesday. Dream11 replaced VIVO after the BCCI had earlier suspended the Chinese smartphone making company's contract as the title sponsor for the high-octane league. Dream11 will now shell ₹222 crore to be the title sponsors for the 13th edition of the IPL.

Dream11 beat Byju's (₹201 crore) and Unacademy (₹171 crore) to win the IPL title sponsorship rights for 2020. Dream11 also beat yoga guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali and Jio Communications, who were also reportedly in contention to join the race for the IPL title rights.

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IPL Dream11 deal: CAB secretary Aditya Verma makes huge statement 

After the VIVO deal fallout, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was without a title sponsor for the IPL 2020. The IPL VIVO deal fallout originated because of the anti-China sentiment across the country post the India-China standoff at the Galwan Valley, where 20 Indian soldiers were martyred in June. In fact, the Indian government then banned 59 Chinese applications, including Tik-Tok and Helo.

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Meanwhile, the secretary of Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB), Aditya Verma reckoned that Dream11 winning the bid crushes Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Atma Nirbhar campaign as Dream11 is a 'Chinese company'. According to News18, Aditya Verma said that as a well-wisher of Indian sports, he wishes and prays that the IPL 2020 is held successfully in the UAE. Back in 2018, Dream11 roped in the world's largest gaming company, China's Tencent as an investor at $100 million (₹700-800 crore), which was a majority stake at the time.

However, he added that with Dream11 becoming the title sponsor of the IPL, it becomes problematic as Dream11 has a huge investment in one of the IPL franchises, hinting that it is a potential 'conflict-of-interest' case.

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The IPL 2020 is set to be played in the UAE from September 19 with the final scheduled to be played on November 10. The 53-day tournament will witness ten-afternoon matches starting at 3:30 PM (IST) while the evening matches will start at 7:30 PM (IST). The franchises have already started gearing up for the tournament and are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the safety of the players.

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IMAGE COURTESY: IPLT20.COM