Jio approached by BCCI for IPL 2020 sponsorship, Reliance brand shows no interest: Report

The Indian Premier League 2020 (IPL 2020) season is currently on course to commence from September 19. While the much-awaited tournament is less than 40 days away, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is actively looking for IPL sponsors after their relationship with VIVO was put on hold. According to a report by InsideSport, the BCCI has approached Jio to become chief IPL sponsors for the 2020 season.

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BCCI looking for IPL sponsors for 2020 season, contacts Jio

According to the publication, the BCCI approached Jio during the teleconference meeting between IPL governing council members. Jio is a subsidiary of Reliance Industries, who are the owners of the popular IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians. The approach was reportedly made by the BCCI to a Mumbai Indians representative who was present at the teleconference meeting. However, the Mumbai Indians representative declined the request by saying that Jio is “not exploring any such association” for now.

Apart from approaching Jio, the BCCI has reportedly reached out to their existing IPL 2020 partners like Tata Motors and Dream11. Additionally, the Indian board has been reaching out to their own existing partners like PayTM (BCCI’s home series partner) and Byju's (Team India Jersey partner) in a bid to finalise IPL sponsors for the 2020 season.

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While the Indian board continues its search, brands like Amazon, Unacademy and MyCircle11 have already expressed an interest in becoming primary sponsors for IPL 2020. On Monday, August 10, Indian yoga guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali also confirmed their interest in putting in a bid. According to a recent report by News18, the Indian board would be happy with their new IPL sponsors to strike even one-third the amount of the deal they originally had with VIVO, a Chinese smartphone company.

IPL 2020 schedule

The IPL 2020 season will be played between September 19 and November 10 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The decision to shift the tournament out of India was made due to the rising cases of coronavirus in the country. The opening match is likely to be played between Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, if the BCCI and IPL 2020 governing council decide to follow the same itinerary as planned for its March 29 commencement.

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Image credits: IPLT20.com