Pro Kabaddi League not to get ₹60 cr from title sponsor Vivo if event is cancelled: Report

The coronavirus pandemic has severely impacted the lives of people across the world. It has brought the world to an unprecedented, perhaps war-like standstill that has affected global share markets as well. All the sporting events have come to a halt, which is why sporting organizations, leagues and teams alike, have suffered huge losses. The financial market has also taken a massive hit due to the pandemic. 

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India China standoff: Pro Kabaddi League could lose a deal of ₹60 crore with Vivo if it gets called off

Another prominent league which has clouds of uncertainty looming over it is the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL). Pro Kabaddi League is believed to be the most popular franchise-based league in India after the Indian Premier League (IPL) due to its ability to reach the masses and being perfectly attractive for TV viewing. There is no clear picture that has emerged on the players’ auction after which training camps are organised by their respective franchises.

Due to the demanding times, the organisers of the Pro Kabaddi League, Mashal Sports Pvt Ltd and Star India Pvt Ltd have currently resorted to a wait-and-watch approach before taking a final call, according to a Deccan Herald report. There were also some reports which stated that the Pro Kabaddi League is likely to be shifted to Sri Lanka. However, the organisers dismissed all such claims in an official statement recently.

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Kabbadi is a contact sport which is the biggest problem for the organizers. While speaking to Deccan Herald, Pro Kabaddi League co-founder Charu Sharma said that according to him, they can create biospheres and take as much care as possible. However, he said that they are dealing with a particularly large number of people which is why it is not viable to sanitise the venue completely for a long period of time.

Charu Sharma further said that sports like kabaddi are slated in multi-sport venues. He added that in the current situation, many of these venues might not be available as they are being turned into centres to treat the COVID-19 patients. He reckoned that to get these venues at a complex set of schedules isn’t easy.

If Pro Kabaddi League gets cancelled, it could lose the annual sponsorship deal of ₹60 crore from its title sponsor Vivo. The India China standoff has affected the sporting scenario massively. Several Chinese companies are associated with different sporting leagues. But because of the India China standoff, these leagues have had to bear the brunt.

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Recently, VIVO also announced that they won't have Indian celebrities such as Aamir Khan in their ads during the IPL 2020 because of the India China standoff. According to Economic Times, Vivo won't be using ambassadors and Bollywood actors Aamir Khan and Sara Ali Khan in its advertisements over the next few months. The announcement was made by Vivo to send out a message to India as it banned 59 apps linked to China, alleging that they were used in activities “prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order”.

Vivo is also the title sponsor of IPL 2020 which is why the BCCI VIVO deal has come under the scanner. Recently, the BCCI decided to review its deal with IPL's title sponsor Vivo which they announced on Twitter. Let's take a look at the tweet.

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IMAGE COURTESY: PROKABADDI TWITTER