Vivo To Continue As IPL Sponsors But BCCI Ready To Boycott China Sponsorship If Needed: BCCI Treasurer

The call to boycott Chinese products in the wake of the bloody clash between Indian and Chinese troops at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) have increased. India lost 20 of its soldiers in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley region on Monday night. The Chinese side has also suffered heavy casualties of over 40 soldiers.

The face-off took place while efforts to de-escalate the tensions along the LAC in eastern Ladakh were taking place. In the wake of the deadly clash, there have been calls from all around to country to boycott Chinese products.

And amid all these, BCCI treasurer Arun Dhumal has stated that Chinese technology company Vivo will continue to be the title sponsor of Indian Premier League (IPL). Dhumal said the board is yet to decide anything on the matter. He also went on to explain the situation.

“No, we have not decided anything on this. We need to understand the difference between helping Chinese company and their causes and taking support from Chinese companies to help India’s causes. If a Chinese company is taking money from Indian consumers and selling their phones and then India restrains them from taking that money to China and we pay taxes from it to the government, I am helping the Indian cause,” Dhumal told Times Now.

In December last year, Vivo retained the title sponsorship of the IPL after submitting a bid of Rs 2,199 crore over the next five years. Vivo had won the rights for IPL title sponsorship for the first time in 2016.

Dhumal further said that BCCI will wait for clearer instructions from the government before taking any calls. He insisted that BCCI does not have the authority to take a call on Chinese investment in the country. At the same time, he also said that the BCCI stands by the country in their call for protest of Chinese products.

“BCCI is not the entity to decide on whether there will be Chinese investments in India or not. We have to think in terms of any binding obligations and agreements wherein we can’t just tell the Chinese companies to pack their bags and move out,” he said.

“We are not against this sentiment, let their be total boycott of goods and products from China. I will be happy if they are not collecting any money from Indian consumers but they are dutiful to pay me (BCCI) some amount from overseas consumers. Contract with Vivo was signed by our predecessors, it has formalities and we can’t just back out of it now,” explained Dhumal.

Dhumal also cited an example of Motera stadium in Ahmedabad, saying: “Gujarat Cricket Association has built the world’s largest stadium, and some Chinese company would have pitched in at a lower amount but he contract was awarded to an Indian company, we created infrastructure without any help from Chinese companies. We are not taking any money from the Chinese companies. We are taking a part of what they collect from the Indian consumers to help India’s cause.”

He concluded by saying that the BCCI is ready to do away with any and every contract if the government of India tells them so.

“For us the country comes first, everything else is immaterial. In case the government decides we have to do away with the contract, we will do it the very next day. We will support our government officials they decide to ban, we as such don’t buy any products from China, but if and when the government decided to do away with sponsorship from China, BCCI will agree with that,” Dhumal concluded.

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